Smoke and Mirrors
by Phaethon
Summary: I WILL take you down'. I laughed. 'You will TRY, little blackbird'. Two villains clash in Jump City. Are the Titans actually trying their best to stop them? STRONGLY T for deaths and language. RaexOC later on. Cliche, I know, but oh well... FINISHED!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

It was only a routine job... 

The deal was simple: Adder Inc. had their eyes set on the new AI software developed by Wayne Industries. So, we were promised a nifty amount if we could get a copy of its source code, by any means necessary.

Which boils down to basic Industrial Espionage, actually.

Now, the Wayne Ind. building in Jump City is an impossible challenge, as any thief will tell you. In fact, the only one who managed to pull a job there was a certain Red-X, who, somehow, teleported past most of the Security.

Don't assume that when I say "Security", I mean some computer-controlled, automated camera system, or laser defenses, or any state-of-the-art technological Cerberus. As more and more thieves learned how to fool computers, Wayne Industries reverted to the good ol' favorites: the patrol and the guard-dog.

Which was good for us. There is no way you can cast an Illusion on a computer.

* * *

I had never been to Jump City before. It was a pleasant break from Gotham. I especially liked the way the buildings were built one next to the other, making movement over rooftops as easy as a walk in the park. We approached the Wayne building without difficulty and I cast my spells on the rooftop guards. Nothing flashy-I wasn't that powerful. I just made sure that their already sleepy brains would forget about us the moment they saw us. Kate scrambled the signals of the cameras and we were in. 

The rest of the job went just as smooth. Ten minutes after our successful entry, we were in the computer room, where Iris hacked into the Wayne mainframe. Not ten feet away from her, sat the guard in charge, calmly sipping his tea, having forgotten that we were there. Even Fred, always distrustful of my Illusions seemed relatively at ease, just like the rest of us.

Iris had the software source code downloaded in less than five minutes. We were packing up, when the lights went out.

* * *

An accidental blackout in Wayne building is impossible. Even if the city power grid fails, there are two reserve generators in the basement, each capable of sustaining the power supply for more than twelve hours. This was no accident. This was sabotage. 

I heard the guard beside me give a muffled yelp. Apparently, the blackout had torn my Veiling spell to tatters. I heard him fumbling for his walkie-talkie and flashlight. Not wanting our cover to be blown, I stepped next to him and grabbed his hand. He tried to jerk himself loose, but my Paralyzing spell shot up to his head in seconds. He collapsed in a heap, alive but unable to move a muscle. I steadied myself on the desk, as the powerful spell drained my power.

I heard the distinctive crunch of glow sticks being twisted and the room was bathed in green light. Kate and Fred looked around, wary, and Jason slid two dart clips into his handguns.

"We go now." he said. "Keep together. We will keep moving, no matter what happens. We gotta get out, before the police get here. John," he turned to me, "we must be invisible all the time. We don't know what is waiting for us out there. You two," he snapped to Kate and Fred, "lose the light. Use your night vision goggles."

We nodded. I pointed at his guns.

"Are these really necessary?" I asked.

Fred pulled out his knives.

"Not everyone is afraid of fighting, mate!" he said with a grin, and activated his goggles.

"It's called pacifism." I mumbled. "Comes with intelligence. You should try it sometime, Conan."

Iris snickered.

We ran out of the room in single file, Jason and Fred first, then Iris and me and finally Kate. Mark, who was guarding the door, joined us, bringing up the rear. We made our way to the roof, sneaking past guards who watched us run by with a dazed expression on their faces, only to forget about us the moment we were out of sight. Once, Iris turned to smile wolfishly at me and whisper "I like those spells of yours!" My stomach tied itself into a knot. I still hadn't found the courage to ask her out. Maybe after the job was done...

It was never meant to be.

A blur in the corner of my vision, a sharp motion in the darkness, and Mark fell, a blade in his throat. I froze. What the...?

Jason whirled and fired four shots from each gun, covering a wide area. Subconsciously, I admired the old man: well past his prime, his reflexes were as good as ever. My main concern at the time, though, was how our mysterious attacker had spotted us under my Veiling spells.

Jason turned to Kate, who was kneeling by Mark

"Well?" he snapped. Kate just shook her head and drew her own gun.

Jason swore loudly and turned to me.

"John! What are you playing at? I told you..."

"The shield is up!" I cried, as puzzled as he was. "Somehow he saw through it!"

"Did you get him?" asked Kate, her eyes scanning the corridor, from beneath her goggles. Joe shook his head.

"I see no body." he said. "Be on your guard!"

I nervously added another layer to my defenses. Deep down, though, I knew it was useless.

Two more blades whistled through the air, and both Jason and Fred went down. Katie screamed and rushed to Jason's side, while I backed away towards the wall, dragging Iris with me.

OK, I was a coward. Still, I survived.

The masked man fell from the ventilation pipes on the ceiling, right next to Kate. She raised her gun, but he grabbed her hand and turned it towards us. Kate fired twice, instinctively, and both slugs hit the wall not three inches from my head. The mysterious aggressor pressed his advantage, grabbing her head with both hands and twisting sharply. Her neck broke like a twig, and she fell, dead before she hit the floor.

The killer turned towards us. For the first time I managed to sense him: Cold and calculating, like a well-oiled machine. He was clearly able to see us-my Veils had no effect. But now I could sense him, I could also affect him. I tried to gain access to his mind, to erase us from his memory and winced, in pain. Trying to break through his defenses was like running into a brick wall.

He chuckled.

"Trying to enter my mind, little one?" he drawled. "You should know that, once someone has fought the Devil himself and reclaimed his body after death, he tends to be resilient to such pathetic attacks."

He stepped closer, a staff appearing as if from nowhere into his hands.

"Now give me the disks, and I might let you live."

Before I could say anything Iris beat me to it:

"Come and get them, freako!" she howled and went for her knives.

In an instant, the assassin was upon us. I still don't know how I blocked his first two blows (I was never a good fighter), but his third got me just below the solar plexus, leaving me gasping for breath. Iris had, amazingly, scored a number of hits, that did not, however, seem to slow the assassin down. Hitting her wrists with his staff, he disarmed her and lifted her off the ground, in a stranglehold. She wheezed and gasped for air.

"Where are the disks?" the assassin asked in a bored drawl, tightening his grip.

"In her backpack!" I panted. "Take 'em! Just let her go!"

He twisted her around and I could see the contempt in her face. '_Coward!_' she seemed to say. I didn't care. I just wanted us to get outta there. Alive, if possible.

The assassin delved into her backpack and took out the two source code disks. Then he threw Iris against the wall, and I heard her neck snap.

"_NO!_" I cried and I charged him head on, calling upon my power, wreathing myself in shadows. I should have known better, but at the time I was more than blind with rage.

His fist connected with my nose and I felt the bone break. My eyes filled with tears of pain, and my rush was brought to an abrupt halt. The next blow got me right above my ear, and stars exploded before my eyes. I expected to die, right then and there, and it might even have been some sort of relief, when a brilliant light flooded the corridor.

For a single frozen moment I could see his face. Black. Orange. Some sort of twisted yin-yang mask, with a single staring eye, in an orange background. Then, the explosion hit us and I fell to the floor.

I heard someone calling, as if from far away "You're going down, Slade!"

And then there was darkness. And silence

_Slad__e_...?


	2. Capes

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

When I woke up, I found it hard to breathe. The blood running form my poor broken nose had clotted and clogged my nostrils. On top of that, I had a _splitting_ headache.

It wasn't the first time I had been knocked out; I had had practice. So I didn't waste time trying to remember what had happened: It came back to me in seconds. What I _should_ be worrying about was whatever was going on _now_, so I opened an eye.

And closed it right away.

_Capes._

I was in trouble. Capes meant supers. I raked my memory, and cursed myself for not paying attention during Jason's briefing. Did Jump City have supers? I seemed to remember something about a team called…something-or-other, but that was about it. I groaned and tried to lift a hand to my throbbing temple, but I found that I couldn't move. I was strapped to the bed.

"Friends! The villain has regained consciousness!" cried a girl's voice and I heard the scraping of chairs on the floor and the soft _whoosh_ of a hydraulic door opening.

I opened my eyes once more and looked around me. _Colorful bunch._

An orange-skinned, red-haired girl was floating next to my bed. Next to her, a giant of a man, with some sort of blue, glowing mech combat suit. Next to _him_, a cloaked figure, face hidden under a hood. And on the other side of the bed, a green-skinned…Elf…?...and…

I swallowed audibly. This wasn't good.

I had "met" Robin before, during a heist in Gotham. He had never had the chance to see my face, but I bet he wouldn't like knowing that it was I who had knocked him out with a tranquilizer dart and stuffed him in a garbage bin. _Careful, John_.

"Who are you and what were you doing in the Wayne building?" Robin snapped.

_Right to the point, eh?_. I decided to stall. Bad humor and sarcasm can buy you time to get out of a tight spot.

"We weren't doing anything bad, I swear! My friends and I were just having a picnic…Why am I in bed? Did we get food poisoning, or what?"

Robin's eyes narrowed. He grabbed me around the neck and brought his face close to mine, scowling. The intimidation effect was somewhat spoiled, by the fact that I was now able to smell his cheap hair gel.

"Smart guy, eh?" he sneered. "What do you know about Slade?"

A huge metal hand descended on his shoulder, and pulled him back. I sighed, relieved. Clean air!

"Calm down, man!" drawled the robo-guy. "You _know_ what happens every time with Slade."

I could see a vein throbbing in Bird Boy's forehead. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and I got a chance to take a better look around. It was some sort of hospital all right, but WAY more advanced than anything I'd seen before. No windows, just a steel door with a fingerprint-gel-pad security lock. _No way out-yet._

Robin tried again.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"John" I answered

"John WHAT, wise-a?"

"John Smith. Look me up in the phonebook, if you want." I said and bit my lips to hold back laughter.

Robin's teammates were not so discreet. The green elf sniggered and the robo-giant grinned. I thought I heard a snort from underneath the hood of the cloaked one, but I couldn't be sure.

"OK, OK!" I said, not wanting Robin to lose it to the point were he would resort to physical violence. "Don't expect a full confession just yet. Just know that we went in there to steal some software, which you will probably recover if you find the guy who killed my friends."

"Oh, but the other villains with which you did the teaming up are not all dead!" cried the orange girl. The robo-guy immediately whacked her on the head and she made a "yeek" sound.

"What do you mean?" I asked sharply, cold running down my spine. I should feel hopeful, but somehow I _knew_ that this wasn't going to be good news. "I saw them all die!"

"Way to go, Star!" growled the robo-guy and turned to look me in the eye.

"Well, you know the girl who was with you in the end? The dark-haired one?"

"Iris?" I gasped. _How had she managed to survive?_

"Well, she was alive when we found her. Her neck is broken though, and she has suffered severe head trauma. The doctors said they did what they could but…She…she is in a vegetable state. Sorry, kid"

His words hit me like a sledgehammer. Iris? A vegetable? Death was one thing, but this half-life…?

The five supers backed off awkwardly at my horrified expression. Even Bird Boy had the grace to look sorry.

"Were you…together?" asked the orange girl.

"No…just close friends…" I answered.

And it was the Honest-to-God truth.

"Please, leave me alone for a while…" I pleaded. Four of them made for the door.

"Hey!" cried Robin. "What about…?"

"For God's sake man!" I cried, rage building up. "I'll answer any question; just give me a few minutes!"

Robin was ready to answer, when robo-guy grabbed him and dragged him out. The door closed and I was alone. _Iris…_

"_Slade_" I growled.

_Screw pacifism._

* * *

I didn't know how much time I had. Some ideas had occurred to me, about getting out of that mess, but I had no real plan. I raked my brain, trying to combine some of these ideas into a foolproof, original, scheme, and failed miserably. 

So, I reverted to my old tried and tested technique of "Making It Up As I Go".

I scanned the room for cameras and found none. Strange, but not unwelcome. I could use that to my advantage.

The straps holding me down were cotton-lined hardened leather. Another stroke of luck. I bent over and tried to reach one with my mouth. At the same time, my tongue was busy, extracting the small razor from between my molars. I slowly turned the blade around, so as not to cut myself and bent over the strap. I managed to cut through it just as the door opened. I laid back, hoping that whoever came in wouldn't notice my free left hand.

It was the cloaked guy, carrying a tray with a steaming cup and a slice of pizza. I grinned inwardly. Lady Luck was definitely on my side.

He left the food on a small table next to my bed and made to leave.

"Hey, mate!" I called. He turned around, without answering. I looked at the food and then at the straps holding me down. "How am I going to eat this? I can't move, remember? Can't you untie me, or something?"

For a second he did not move, and I felt…weird. It was as if he was trying to "sense" me, whether I was up to something. Just to be safe, I shielded the parts of my memory that contained my plan, leaving my thirst and hunger to stand out. It worked. He came back and leaned over my right side. So I grabbed the cup with my free hand and brought it down on the side of his head, like a club. He collapsed on the floor.

My blade was in my hand in a second. I made short work of the remaining straps and jumped off the bed. I pulled off his cloak and froze on my tracks.

It was a girl.

I guess the first thing that got my eye was the purple hair. How often do you see a girl with purple hair? It didn't seem dyed. I had caused her a nasty bruise on the forehead, and I could already picture the bump this was going to cause her. Oh well, you can't make an omelet without braking eggs, right?

Then my eyes wandered to the rest of her and I guess I blushed. She was wearing something like a long-sleeved one-piece bathing suit (I later found out the proper term to be _leotard_, but at the time, limited vocabulary was the least of my worries), that left her legs bare. She was wearing a belt, like a string of jewels ('_A belt? What does she need a belt for?_'). She had a-well, how shall I put it-_fragile_ air and I did feel a little remorse for that blow.

I snapped out of it, picked her up and pressed her hand into the gel-lock. The door whooshed open, and I jammed it with a chair. I left her on the bed, after giving her a small dose of chloroform. She would have a headache when she woke up, but I refused to feel guilty for that.

My plan was to wrap myself in her cloak and escape with the help of a few Illusions. I hit a snag almost immediately. Her cloak was too small for me. I was about a head taller. Cursing loudly I made my way down two halls, searching with my powers for any presences around and finding none. A glimpse out of a window told me that it was night-I had obviously been out cold during the day.

After a few random turns I ran across a hallway with doors on either side. Five of them. Every one had a name stenciled upon it. I checked with my powers. There were presences inside the rooms-sleeping presences. Obviously, they had decided to let me off the hook for the night. I chuckled.

_OK, John, be very, very quiet now…_

ROBIN-him I _definitely_ didn't want to meet.

STARFIRE-the orange girl. Robo-guy had called her "Star".

CYBORG-The Super RoboCop.

BEASTBOY-The green Elf.

RAVEN-Ah…

So her name was Raven. Nice. Suited her. Her door was locked with a code-screen, the small keyboard underneath sporting the digits from 0 to 9. Standard stuff. Kate had disabled countless of these during our heists.

I needed a place to sit low and ponder on my next move-this was a room I was sure was empty. I slipped my razor behind the code-screen cutting through the hydraulic wires and short-circuiting them, just as I had seen Kate do. The door opened with a small hiss. Crappy internal security. Obviously, they considered that whoever was free inside their base, was a friend. A mistake, I was sure, they would never make again.

The room was scary.

The furniture gave me the screaming heebie-jeebies. I was afraid to go near it-it seemed as if it might try to bit a leg off me. I nervously sat on a bed that looked for all the world like a gaping, hungry mouth, ready to swallow me and let my eyes wander. Ancient Greek theatre masks, heavy curtains, some sort of vase, balanced on a rickety table, iron treasure chests, some kind of star map…

Way to Gothic for my taste.

She did have a nice big library, though.

The top shelves were lined with fantasy and horror stories-I spotted _The Silmarillion _and _The Shining_, among other books. Next came poetry-mainly Poe.

And then came the spellbooks.

I couldn't believe it. A witch? Grinning, I drew a book out of the shelf-_The Book of Azar_- and flipped it open.

…_It is imperative that the Caster's concentration fadeth not, for if so, the spell mayhap be turned against him…_

…_The School of Mystic Powers requireth complete control over the emotions of the Caster; Thou must not attempt these spells, unless thou art calm and aware of thy limits and strength…_

These pages were wrinkled and worn; she had read them over and over again. There were notes and scribbles in the margins in an unintelligible script.

I flipped through the pages. It seemed that the author of the Book considered magic to be divided in "Schools": Mystic, Undoing, Sensory, Divination, Healing…

Obviously her powers encompassed the Mystic, Sensory and Healing Schools: That's where all the scribbles were. All the other pages were untouched, not even wrinkled.

I was ready to close the Book and start thinking about a way to get outta there, when I ran across a chapter that caught my attention.

THE SCHOOL OF ILLUSION

I read a few lines and turned a few pages. There were many spells listed and described: Veils, Emotion Controllers, Paralyzers, Blinders…All of them infinitely more powerful than anything I had ever attempted. The _Book_ was a goldmine: It showed me I hadn't even scratched the surface of my art. I closed it, wrapped Raven's cloak around it and took it with me.

I pulled the curtains and looked below. I was five stories up, looking at the sea. Dammit. No way out.

How did the supers leave the island? The orange girl, Starfire, could fly (at least she had hovered next to my bed), but you couldn't expect the Robo-guy to swim…

Vehicles. I needed to get to their vehicles.

* * *

_A/N : OK, so what do you think? It's my first fic, and I know that I have much room for improvement. Any comments are more than welcome. Flame me only if I really deserve it, please._

_These chapters are actually one long prologue-the "real" story just begins. I've already finished the story, so I'll be updating pretty regularly: I just need to type my manuscript and that might take some time. The next 3-4 chapters are ready though. _

_ Thanks for reviewing  
_


	3. Twelve days for twelve months

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

A year later..

Jump City's Beach was lined with bars and nightclubs, which appealed to the city's teens. Especially during Friday nights and weekends, the money flowing through the hands of the owners was enough to attract the attention and interest of the crime lords. Most of them had already made a move, offering "protection" and other deals to the all-too-willing club owners, who considered deals with Jump City's mobs as quite profitable.

I approached the "Hook", currently one of the coolest places in town, wincing at the sound of the music blaring from the speakers. I was confident that the "Hook" was more than just a nightclub: My sources in Jump City were few, but reliable, and they had unanimously declared it to be one of the worst nests of smugglers and the main gateway for smuggling goods in Jump.

The face control guy at the door scowled.

"You don't fit the dress code, bum." he growled. "Beat it."

I smirked, picked up a torn piece of paper from the ground and presented it to him, along with a small Distortion spell.

"What if I leave you my friend here, the dead president?"

His eyes slipped out of focus and he grinned, greedily. "A thousand bucks?" he said. "For that much, I can get you into the White House!" He stepped aside and I walked in, still smirking. Thugs got easier to fool every month.

The place was LOUD. I got sick just seeing the lights whirl around, and the music pounded so hard my teeth were rattling. I could've dulled my senses and made things easier-but this was the lion's den, and I had to be careful. I maneuvered to the bar, avoiding the dancers, and slipped five real hundred-dollar notes to the bartender.

"I want to speak with Mister Lin." I yelled in his ear. "Now. Alone. It's a business offer."

He pocketed the money and made a sign to the two thugs flanking a side door. They motioned me there, quickly searched me for weapons and ushered me up a stair to a heavy door. I entered a large office, overlooking the dancing floor through a tinted glass window. I sighed, relieved that the room was sound-proofed. Only a faint, dull thudding could be heard.

"You mentioned a deal, Mr.….?asked the Asian guy behind the manager's desk. He was in his forties, bald, pleasant, a bit fat. Nothing to worry about.

"…Smith." I said. "John Smith."

He smirked.

"No doubt." he said. "Please, have a seat Mr. Smith. How can I help you?"

I sat on the chair he motioned me to and leaned back, relaxing.

"I am aware that the "Hook" is a smugglers' paradise, second only to the Free Ports of Switzerland. I am also aware that you are currently about to deliver a great amount of robotic parts to a certain Mr. Slade." I leaned forward. "I wish for this delivery to fail. I wish for the goods to be destroyed."

Lin looked at me for a moment, dumbfounded. Then he laughed, an honest, loud laugh.

"Mr. Smith, you must know that the "Hook" enjoys such good clientele and reputation because of the quality of the services we provide. We have _never_ called off a deal, less so ever sabotaged one."

"I am willing to pay a handsome amount" I replied. "Sixty million dollars now and a hundred and forty more, when the job is done."

Lin leaned back on his chair. " I am sorry Mr…Smith, but we are not interested. I will _not_ abandon our policy and lose such a good customer as Mr. Slade. If I can help you in any other way…?"

"Mr. Lin," I cut him off, my voice as cold as I could make it without using my powers "do you consider your business relationship with Mr. Slade more important than your own safety?"

Lin's face fell. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Smith?" he snapped with a scowl.

"Yes Mr. Lin, I am."

"Then we have nothing more to say to each other. Please leave, and if you value _your_ own safety, do not return here."

The door opened and five thugs stepped in, one bulkier than the other. I could've taken them in an instant: their minds were pitifully open, and I could've sent them down the stair whimpering in despair or fear, the kind of fear that gives one nightmares for weeks. But I wanted to send a message, so it had to be brutal.

One of the thugs moved closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. He dwarfed me-so he underestimated me. I cast an Illusion on myself, a spell that changed my perception of time, giving me impossibly fast reflexes.

"Let's go, bum." He drawled, his voice distorted and slurred through my spell.

"Yes. Let's." I agreed.

I grabbed the back of the chair with my left hand and stood up, kicking back with my right foot. The chair shot up and hit him in the temple. He went down. I threw the chair at the others, knocking the gun one had pulled off his hand. Then I grabbed a pen from Lin's desk and charged them.

I had spent the last year honing, not only my magic, but also my martial arts skills, under the tutelage of Lady Shiva herself. Once she found out I was going after Slade, she offered to help me beat him, just to prove who was the biggest, baddest killer around. She drilled me in a mixture of Tai Chi and Ba Gua she had developed: The Viper style. It was all about moving fast and taking out your opponent in three moves at the most. No kicks and no acrobatics, just fast, efficient punches, jabs and painful holds. I loved it.

I fell on the two thugs that were not struggling with the chair and jammed the pen in one's thigh. He howled and tried to punch me, but I ducked and he hit his friend next to him, who had just drawn his gun. The guy's fingers went limp under the blow, and I snatched the gun before it hit the floor. Still moving, I shot them all in the knees, and finished them off using the gun as a blackjack. It didn't take more than twenty seconds.

I turned to the trembling Lin. _Him_, I _would _scare.

I released the clip of my gun, and it fell on the floor with a clatter. Then I aimed and fired the shot in the chamber on Lin's desk. He jumped and whimpered.

"Well, Mr. Lin," I growled, grabbing him by the throat "it seems that Mr. Slade is not here to save you. Will you _now_ consider abandoning your policy and canceling the deal?"

He nodded, his eyes closed, still whimpering. I was disgusted. I had planned on braking into his emotions and giving him a taste of absolute horror and fear, but it seemed somehow redundant.

"You _will_ give Slade a message." I said. "You will tell him that he has twelve days, starting tomorrow, to settle his affairs. When these twelve days are gone, I will hunt him down and I will kill him. Will you remember all that, Mr. Lin?"

"Yes." he whispered, terrified. I hit him in the temple and he collapsed. Without looking back I went down the stairs, past the bar and out in the street. The face control guy brightened up when he saw me. I chuckled and produced a bent playing card from my pocket. "There you go, Cerberus" I said, and passed him the card. His eyes widened.

"Gee, sir, thank you!" he exclaimed. "Come back anytime. I'll save the best table for ya!"

I nodded, still grinning, and walked away.

'_Twelve days, Slade, you bastard._' I thought, grimly. '_Tick Tock._'

* * *

_Bleeep…Bleeep…Bleeep…_

The small heartbeat monitor beeped happily away, marking the beats of her heart. Her eyes were open, which meant she was awake. But she had no idea I was there.

_Bleeep…Bleeep…Bleeep…_

"Hello Iris."

Her eyes stayed blank. She gave no sign she had heard.

"I am sorry I didn't visit sooner, but I was kinda on the run." I said and sat on the bed, next to her. "You remember how it is, don't you?"

Her eyes roamed round the room and settled on a picture on the wall, depicting a vase full of flowers.

"The doctor says you might recover, but we both know better, don't we?" I asked. "You aren't in there anymore, Iris. I can feel it. This is just an empty shell now, isn't it? No thoughts, no emotions, just…life going on and on. You don't even realize that time passes, do you?" I checked her mind, being as gentle as possible. "No, you don't." I sighed. For a while I was quiet, listening to the beeping and humming of the machines that surrounded her and kept her alive.

"I remember the last thing you said…or thought, anyway. You thought I was such a coward, didn't you? I might have been; I guess I was. I was afraid for you; I wanted you to be safe, you see? And save my own sorry hide in the process of course." I grinned, sadly. "And in the end, I failed miserably. I am sorry Iris…I…I couldn't help…So sorry."

She smiled. I knew it was just a reflex; that she hadn't understood anything I had said, but she smiled. And I knew that I could still help her.

I entered her mind once again, shutting down every pain signal from her poor broken body. Then, I used my power to calm her, putting her in a deep sleep…that got deeper…and deeper…and deeper…and deeper…

…_Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…_

I got up and looked once more upon her face. She was still smiling. I knew that the only thing that would keep me sane in the days to come was the fact that she was still smiling. "Goodbye Iris." I said. "It's quite possible we will meet again, very soon."

I put on my coat, opened the door and ran straight into a blue-cloaked figure.

* * *

_A/N: Cliffy :-) I like cliffies. _

_ I 've got quite a decent number of hits, but no reviews. Oh, come on... R&R, please. Just two minutes of your time, and it'll mean so much...  
_


	4. A Wizards' duel in Jump City?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

'_Shit_' I thought as our eyes met and she recognized me. '_I am not in the mood for this. Not now._' 

I turned and sped down the corridor. I was planning on her being so surprised she wouldn't react until I had found cover. No such luck. A black energy blast blew up a water dispenser as I passed by it. From the corner of my eye I saw a chair, wreathed in darkness flying towards me. I ducked and rolled round the corner. Cover, at last. I put a Haze around me-properly breaking into Raven's mind to make her forget about me wasn't something I was keen to try right now. But a Haze, even though it didn't measure up to true invisibility, would make her aim sloppier, helping my escape.

I got up, searching for emergency exit signs, just as she phased through the wall behind me.

"Freeze!" she cried and I did, putting my hands in the air. "Turn around, slowly!" she ordered and I obeyed. I checked the corridor behind her and it was empty. Perfect for what I had in mind.

"So, you got me." I said, trying to appear calm. I needed a distraction to cast my spell. I needed to stall for time. "Now what?"

I could only see the lower part of her face, but still her grin sent shivers down my spine. I knew she would tear me to shreds if I moved, and she knew that I knew. "Now I am taking you in" she said. "For the murder of Iris Sanders. That is why you came here, isn't it?"

I shook my head. "She was dead when I went in." I said. "You'll find no trace of violence on her. You can't blame me for her death."

She scowled. "You forget: I am as good a mind-reader and a psychic as you are, perhaps even better." she growled. "Oh yes, Mr. book-thief, I know you can use some sort of magic. And I am sure I will find traces of your aura in what's left of her mind."

"Will they believe you in court?" I retorted, with an attempt at a cocky smile. "That's what counts, you know…"

She pondered this and shrugged. "We are wasting time." She gestured and a small black orb materialized before her. She reached inside and pulled out a pair of cuffs. "Put these on!" she ordered, throwing them at my feet. I looked down at the cuffs. Then I looked back at her.

"I don't want to hurt you." I said.

"You couldn't if you tried." she snapped back.

I bent down and took the cuffs. Then I leapt up and fired the strongest Light spell I could muster. The room lit up as if a nuclear bomb had been detonated between us. No sound, though, no shockwave, just a brilliant white light. She screamed and clamped her hands over her eyes. "You _bastard!_" she howled and I knew that she wouldn't be able to see anything for a while. So I ran, dodging the tendrils of magic she shot blindly towards me, out the emergency exit, down the fire escape and away, as far away as I could.

Laying low again. This was turning into a bad habit.

* * *

I sat on my couch, a cup of steaming hot chocolate in my hand, the _Book of Azar_ lying on the table before me. 

Raven.

Damn it all to hell. I would've reached her at some point, to return the _Book_- I had meticulously copied every single page, along with Raven's notes, just in case I could discern their meaning later on. I didn't actually need the original anymore, so why not give it back? After all, my conscience still bothered me about that nasty bump I had given her, a year ago.

The point was she had found me first.

_What the hell was she doing in that hospital?_

Now, to her, I was not just a thief, but also a murderer.

"_I am taking you in for the murder of Iris Sanders."_

Well, guilty yer honor…

Problem was I _couldn't_ return the _Book_ now. She would track me down, following my aura imprints on it. If she hadn't faced me, the changes in my aura after twelve months would've confused her long enough for me to finish my…business and put some distance between us- but now, to return the _Book_ would be like sending up a signal flare. She would come running like…

I blinked. Perhaps, it wasn't such a bad idea, after all. If she had enough time, she would be able to track me anyway, possibly before the twelve days of grace I had promised Slade were gone. If, however, I could meet her on my own terms, I might still manage to pull this off.

I took a pen and a piece of paper and wrote four words.

_Observatory. 11:45 pm. Be alone._

I signed _J.S_. for 'John Smith' and grinned. I was beginning to like the alias. It did have a touch of sarcasm.

I closed the Book, slipping the note between the pages dedicated to Illusion spells. Giving her a hint on the nature of my powers was risky, but I still wanted her to have an idea of what she was up against. A part of me scolded me for this misplaced fair-play, but I remembered the sound the cup had made against her head and told that part of me to shut up. I owed her that, at least.

I leaned back and sipped my chocolate, glancing at my watch. _10:00 am_. I'd mail the _Book- _she would have it by noon. I yawned and decided to get some sleep. Somehow, I had the feeling that this was going to be a tiring night.

* * *

She came, and she came alone. It was more than I had expected. 

I had lit a small gas stove, right under the broken dome of the observatory, and had boiled some water, when she phased in: One moment I was alone and the next she was standing there, her hood covering her face.

"Good evening." I said, trying to keep my cool, but nonetheless terrified. If she attacked me, I was a goner: as a sign of goodwill I had lowered my defenses. "Coffee, tea, chocolate?

She didn't move, nor did she answer. She just stood there, her contempt washing over me.

"There is nothing good about this evening, Smith." she finally said. "And if you expect me to drink anything you give me, you are a greater fool than you look. You are a murderer, remember?"

I winced. I didn't need her to remind me of that.

"OK, miss Raven." I said. "I am no saint, I'll admit that. But I still resent your attitude, young lady."

She laughed coldly, and I felt her anger rising. Bad. _No more taunting, John, until she calms down again_.

"You resent my attitude?" she scoffed. "That sounds strange coming from a killer. Just say what you want to say and let me get out of here."

"First things first." I said. "I owe you many apologies".

She didn't react, but I could feel her surprise.

"I hit you very hard a year ago. Then, I broke into your room and stole something from you. That was a breach of privacy quite unlike me, and I hoped I could make amends by returning what I stole. I feel I also must apologize for that flash last night. It must've been…uncomfortable at the least. Is your vision back yet?" She nodded automatically and I went on: "I must ask you to bear in mind that in both cases I was on the run and wary of any attack. Furthermore, note that, again, in both cases, I used as little violence as possible to escape. Does that help my case in any way?"

"No." she snapped. I shrugged and held up a cup of tea. She didn't take it.

"It's not poisoned." I said. "Don't be scared."

She glared at me-I could feel the scowl through the shadows of her hood- but she took the cup and sat on a broken computer console, a good distance from were I sat.

"You are trying to make me think you are an OK guy, aren't you?" she said, her voice an emotionless monotone. "Why?"

"Mainly, because I am afraid of you." I answered, deciding that honesty was probably my best option. "Of all the Titans, you are the only one who might be able to stop me."

She snorted. "My, aren't we arrogant?"

"It's true." I countered. "And you know it. Face it, Raven, like attracts like. You 're the hero-I am _your_ villain, just like Slade is Robin's, Brother Blood is Cyborg's…"

I sensed her astonishment.

"I've done my homework." I explained. "I've studied you Titans- I had to know what I was up against."

"In that case, you know I am _nothing_ like you." she said, softer than usual. "I would never kill, nor would my friends." I didn't answer right away. I sipped my chocolate and tried to discern her face under the hood.

"You know that isn't true." I finally said. "You _would_ kill, to protect your friends or to avenge them." I slipped a PDA from my pocket and played the video I had copied from the security files of the Jump City police station. _A nine-foot-tall Raven was advancing towards a blonde girl, tentacles of black magic flailing madly around her._

"_We trusted you! I trusted you! And you treated us like dirt!"_

_The mud around Raven's feet rose__ to envelop her: She fought it but she eventually sank under the surface._

"You would've killed her-and don't say you wouldn't have, because we both know you'd be lying."

She sat quiet, without denying it. I continued. "You felt betrayed, right? You wanted revenge. Well, so do I."

"_I_ lost control." she whispered. "_You_ are nothing but a cold-blooded murderer."

"Losing control is not an excuse!" I snapped, my anger rising. "And don't _ever_ call me that again. I have _never_ murdered in cold blood. Now you mention it, I don't think I've ever actually murdered anyone. I helped end the torment of an old friend, and that will probably haunt me 'till the end of my life. And I will make sure the bastard who _really_ killed her dies screaming. But I am _not _a cold-blooded murderer. Don't _EVER_. Call me. That. Again. Understand?"

I realized I was yelling and brought my voice under control. I sipped some chocolate to calm down.

She was tired, I could see as much. She only wanted for this to end.

"So, what do you want?" she asked.

"I want you to stop tracking me." I answered. "Lay off me for a couple of weeks."

"So you can kill Slade at leisure?" she mocked. "I wouldn't really mind seeing him dead, but I can't let you do it."

I nodded, feeling tired of this myself. We weren't getting anywhere, and I was a fool for expecting it. "So, it's war?" I asked. "A wizards' duel in Jump City?" After a small hesitation she nodded.

"You won't get me easily." I said warningly. "You might be more experienced, but I claim better control over my powers. Emotions don't make them go haywire."

"I know." she said. "I studied the chapter on Illusions."

"Are you willing to set your friends on my tail, risking their lives as well, just to stop me from killing someone who deserves to die anyway?"

"It's our job." she calmly stated, and stood to leave.

"I have a question" I said. "What were you doing in the hospital?"

She sighed. "A certain Mr. Lin, manager of the "Hook" nightclub was found dead this morning, floating near the docks." she answered. "I believe you've met him?"

I nodded.

"We checked the security tapes of the club and Robin spotted you in the crowd. I left immediately for the hospital, knowing that sooner or later you would pay your friend a visit…"

I chuckled. "Robin is a good detective." I admitted. "It's a pity I can't fool cameras. You know I _didn't_ kill Lin, don't you?"

She didn't comment. I shrugged and stood, wiping dust off my clothes. "Thank you for you time, Raven." I said. "And thank you for trusting me."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I don't trust you!"

"You trusted me enough to come here, alone, as I asked. Thank you." I offered my hand. "A handshake before the declaration of war?" She hesitated then took my hand. She had a strong grip, but her hand was ice cold. "Let the best one win." I said, and she smiled.

"You'll end up in jail, Smith." she taunted.

"Possible, but improbable." I countered. "Still, give it your best shot. And call me John."

She let go of my hand and stepped back. "Good night_...Smith._" she said pointedly, wrapping herself in her power. "Nice tea you brew there."

And then she was gone, with a sigh and a rustling of her cloak.

* * *

_A/N : Hehe...So it begins. I tried to keep Raven as "right" as possible-aggressive and cold. I think it worked. C'mon, give me your opinion.  
_

_I got a fav and an alert-but no reviews. I'm flattered that somebody considers my story worth following, but **please please please** (OK, I overdid it there a little) review. _

_ Please...?_


	5. Wraith

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I sat on a rooftop, legs dangling over the edge, sipping my usual hot chocolate and having breakfast. I observed, smiling, the scenes unfolding in the streets below. Plasmus, that useless fat blob, had once again made an appearance, attacking a truck transporting chemicals. The Titans had arrived within minutes, taking him on. 

"_The Romans were right" _I thought with a grin and took a bite off my sandwich. _"Bread and spectacles is OK."_

Ten stories below, Robin had planted an explosive device on Plasmus, blasting him to itty bitty pieces. Before the villain could re-form himself, Starfire swooped down, vaporizing most of the goo with her green energy bolts.

"_Nice." _I couldn't help but think._ "Good teamwork and cool powers. Nice looker, too…"_

Plasmus had re-assembled himself a blobby head and roared as a giant green mammoth charged into him, knocking him back against a building. He had barely got up, when Cyborg's sonic beam pummeled him down again.

A bus was wrapped in dark energy and lifted high above the fallen villain. Raven had a clear shot and she was taking it. Her cloak whipping around her from the force of the spell, she looked more like a raven then ever. I grinned evilly. _This is going to hurt._

The bus landed on Plasmus like a five-ton meteor, spraying oozy slime all over the place. The road cracked round the impact spot and clouds of dust and debris ballooned upwards. I winced. It had hurt. A lot.

I pulled out a PDA and jogged down a memo: _'To myself: when fighting Raven beware of flying buses.'_

Meanwhile, the Titans had gathered round Raven, obviously congratulating her. I packed up my things and made ready to leave: Since Plasmus was out of commission, Raven would concentrate once more on locating _me._ Fun was over: I masked my aura and walked to the fire escape, on the other side of the roof.

WHOOM!

An explosion rocked the building. Not good. I ran back to the ledge and looked down.

Plasmus was up and running. He had thrown off the bus and proceeded to attacking the Titans, seemingly tireless. Robin was first. A gooey appendage got him and hurled him against a lamppost that bent under the force of the impact. The kid was out. Cyborg and Raven were next. Plasmus wrapped them both in goo, choking them. A few blasts of magic shot through the slime, from Raven's side, but Plasmus kept the cocoon good and tight.

Starfire and Beast Boy lasted a little longer, she thanks to her energy bolts and he thanks to his small size: he had turned himself into a hummingbird, dodging most of Plasmus's attacks. Eventually, though, both of them were enveloped in tight cocoons of goo.

A small evil voice in the back of my head cheered the villain on.

"_They are enemies. Potential threats. It's good that someone took care of them. Now you'll be free to pursue your vendetta. Who will be there to stop you?"_

Whom was I kidding? I would enjoy the challenge. After all, I had promised Raven a war; allowing her and her friends to be killed by a giant killer blob would be so…anticlimactic. Hardly an end befitting a team of their calibre.

I eyed the ten stories separating me from the road. Jumping was out of the question and I couldn't fly. My body could not, that is. I closed my eyes and concentrated, preparing myself for a superior spell.

"Gaia…"

My mind was now open, taking in everything around it. I ignored the whirlwind of emotions, fear, anger, despair, hopelessness coming from the street. I focused on my spell.

"…Aerion…"

My consciousness twisted and warped. Reality rippled around me.

"…_Menthos._"

I opened my eyes. My Wraith, a perfect copy of me, looked back at me and smiled. Then, without saying a word, it jumped off the building.

(**Air whistling around me. Controlled fall. Landing.)**

I kicked open the door to the stairwell and ran down the stairs. I needed time. A distraction. Nothing better than a Wraith for that.

(**Plasmus walking towards Cyborg and Raven. Raising a fist to strike. I must attack.)**

I saw the need and allowed the Wraith to shape-shift, draining some more of my power. Three more floors.

(**Roar to attract attention. Taunt. Intimidate.****"**_**If you touch them I will make your soul scream." **_** Transform.**)

I felt the change as I reached the ground floor. The Wraith had chosen an intimidating form indeed: a black dragon, scales glittering like onyx, flames dancing around its jaws. It spread its wings and screeched defiance. Plasmus didn't flinch. I am not sure he did 'fear' at all. I burst out of the entrance to the building, to see him cast globules of goo towards the dragon.

(**Under attack. Fight or retreat?**)

I cancelled the Wraith spell and the dragon shimmered and disappeared, Plasmus's goo hitting nothing but air. I felt my power growing once again, as the Wraith's energies flowed back to me, and I smirked. This was going to be fun.

Plasmus was still looking towards the spot where the dragon had been, obviously baffled. I used that: there is no better moment to break into one's mind, than when he is feeling shocked, irritated or confused.

Gone were the days when I had to be stealthy and careful when I entered another's mind. My attack, thanks to intensive training, had the effect of an armored battle tank crashing through a brick wall. There were no defenses worth my trouble: Plasmus's mind was like that of a beast: controlled by instincts and desires of the moment. I didn't waste any time pulling the right 'plugs' and putting the behemoth to sleep. He fell and the goo oozed away, revealing a man inside: Plasmus's human form.

I couldn't stay there. With Plasmus asleep, the cocoons around the Titans would fall apart within minutes. However, I couldn't resist the temptation of signing my work. I drew a piece of paper and a pencil, not wanting to leave without taunting Raven.

_You promised me a wizard's duel.  
Do you think you will escape me by getting yourself  
killed by Mr. Pink Goo?_

_Think again._

_J.S._

I left the note on Plasmus's limp body, where they would find it. By the time they came to, I was long gone.

* * *

_A/N: Short chapter, I know. On the other hand, I'll probably update again tomorrow, and the one coming up is longer. Still, this one is pretty important. You get to see Wraith for the first time, and trust me, it's gonna be a spell you'll see often. Gaia/Aerion/Menthos is NOT random. You'll see, later on...__Other than that, I guess it's just a _"bridge" _chapter._

_Got my first review! Yipeee! _

_**Vampiric Vanity:** Thanks. So do I (grins evilly)_

_R&R folks. Please? I'll give you a cookie...:-)_

_(Mad Mod: They're called _biscuits!_ Say it with me..._Biiiis-cuits!


	6. Harbor Showdown

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I knocked three times and waited. The door opened a creak and a worried eye peeked out. 

"Who are you?"

"Smith." I answered. "I need to speak to…"

"Shhhh!! No names!" The door opened, revealing a tall, dark-skinned teen, with a single eye in the middle of his forehead. "I know who you want. Get in mate, quickly!"

I walked in. The room was actually an old harbour warehouse, and it showed it: the walls were rusty metal, paint peeling off, the windows were small and close to the roof, with most of the window-panes broken. Still, the computers lining the walls and the big screen in the centre of the room were screaming "secret hideout".

See-More ushered me in and pointed out Gizmo, bent over a worktable, sparks flying around him as he assembled some circuitry. Ignoring Billy Numerous , Mammoth and Kid Wykkid, who were playing a racing game on the big screen I walked straight up to Gizmo, slamming the briefcase I was carrying onto his workbench. The diminutive genius looked up, scowling.

"Hey, scuzball, what kind of…? Oh, it's _you_."

"Obviously." I retorted. "Are they ready?"

Gizmo nodded and produced two long knives from under a heap of spare parts. I eyed them cautiously. They _looked_ OK, as far as I could tell.

"Just like you said, stink-head." snapped Gizmo, recognizing the disbelieving look on my face. "Two taser knives, each with a zinothium power cell and adjustable electrical charge. They can reach up to 300 Kilovolts, but don't try that often, or you'll fry the circuits."

I opened the briefcase and showed him the money.

"Two million dollars, as agreed. Used and unmarked." Gizmo grabbed the briefcase greedily and I took the knives.

"Are the blades made of amorphous steel?" I asked

"Yeah, yeah…It's what ye asked for, innit?" replied Gizmo, checking the banknotes. "Won't break, won't dull, won't bend. I dunno what kind of crud you're trying to pull with them, but I can tell ya they're the best piece of hardware I've built in a long time. And _that_" he finished, laying down the last bundle of banknotes "makes two million. All here. Nice doing business with ya, scuzball."

* * *

The docks were quiet; after all it _was _4 a.m.. I walked slowly to my car, enjoying the weight of the twin blades on my belt. I had never liked weapons, even after I had abandoned the concept of pacifism. I always felt jittery with 'em. After all, a gun can point both ways. Still, I couldn't hope to take down Slade without some hardware. I toyed with the hilts, absent-mindedly. Gizmo had made a good… 

_(…Get him now…)(…Hurt him…)(…Take him out…)_

The blast of aggressiveness caught me head-on. I had been sloppy, letting my guard down; now it was _ouch_ time. An animal roar behind me, a massive fist connecting with the ground. I was thrown forward like a rag doll, straight against a black force field. Stars exploded before my eyes.

(**Get up. There is no pain, there is no pain thereisnopain…**)

My head cleared. With a scowl I looked over my shoulder. The Titans, all of them battle ready: Robin, his Bo staff held before him; Starfire hovering next to the levitating Raven, their hands glowing green and black, Beast Boy, in the shape of a gigantic green gorilla and Cyborg, his right hand morphing into some kind of energy blaster. Nice. I was in deep_…__trouble_.

I winked at Raven. "Nice work. You found me faster than I had anticipated. I am impressed."

"Shut up." she retorted.

"You shouldn't have challenged us." Robin snapped. "Titans, GO!"

My Haze was up right on time: Raven's and Starfire's blasts screamed wide; Cyborg, on the other hand, blasted me on the right shoulder. Once more I was lifted off my feet.

_Get up, John. Just a lucky shot. Take the fight to them!_

My power flowed through me, enhancing my reflexes. I saw Robin bringing his staff down towards my head; I dodged, rolling to the left and got to my feet. Robin followed up with a kick, aiming at my solar plexus. He was fast, faster than any thug, but still, a kick is always slower than a punch. I moved to meet him, keeping low and dodging as his kick whistled past my ear. I could see his baffled expression as I grabbed his other ankle and pulled hard, tripping him to the ground. With my free hand I pulled a knife, pressed the flat of the blade against his skin and jolted him with a few hundred Volts. He stayed down, his body racked with spasms. One down, four to go.

Starfire, upon seeing Robin down, let off a screech like a harpy and dove towards me, fists glowing green, her eyes locked on mine. That was all I needed.

_Never look an Illusionist in the eye, little alien._

I cast a Blinder on her and simply sidestepped. She whizzed past me, blind as a bat, and crash-landed on a steel container. I winced sympathetically. _Ouch_

Magic flowed on my left and I saw Raven phasing through the ground. She opened her cloak and Cyborg stepped out, his metal fist connecting like a sledgehammer with my jaw. I managed to lean back, thus dampening the blow, but I still spat out two teeth. What _was _it with this guy? It was as if…

_Oh damn._

He could see through my Illusions. Obviously, his brain consisted of so many machine parts, that it couldn't be fooled. Another fist hit me in the stomach and I had to double over and roll out of the way of the raging metal man.

"Oh yeah, baby!" cried Cyborg. "You better run!" He slammed his foot on the ground, not a foot from my head. "Booyah!"

So, he wanted to play rough, eh? Fine with me. No more Mr. nice guy. I rolled out of his reach, drew both my knives and brought them down, aiming for his shoulders. Amazingly, he caught both blades with his hands and grinned.

"Missed me." he taunted.

"You think so?" I retorted and blasted him with a thousand Volt charge from each knife. He collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. _Good work, Gizmo._

"Booyah…" I chuckled.

"Azarath, Metrion _Zinthos!_" A flash of magic wrapped itself round my feet; I was lifted high up in the air and thrown into a green gorilla's waiting arms. Beast Boy had a bone crushing grip- a vise that got tighter every second.

"Gaia…Aerion…Me…Menthos!" I gasped, casting _two_ spells, at the same time: A Veil around myself, and a Wraith spell. To BB, it was as if I had disappeared, to reappear free, before him. He opened his arms, baffled, and the real me slipped to the ground coughing and wheezing.

(**You are hurt. Engaging enemy. Non-lethal attack.**)

My Wraith shape-shifted, once more assuming dragon form. Ignoring Raven's magic bolts, that simply shot through it, it whipped its tail at Beast Boy. The blow was actually an Illusion, just like the Wraith itself, but for Beast Boy it was _very_ real indeed. His knees buckled and he fell, unconscious, shifting back to his human form.

Quiet.

I managed to get to my feet, despite the pain on my sides. Beast Boy had probably managed to crack a few ribs.

"I…t…told you." I gasped, turning slowly, meeting Raven's eyes. "Didn't I? Out of all the T…Titans…_you_. Only _you_ are still s…standing."

My Wraith shimmered and went out, and I now had more than enough power to fuel a Painkiller spell. Slowly, I drew myself to my full height and grinned evilly.

"Of course, that's because I haven't really _started_ on you. _Yet._" I finished ominously.

Black magic erupted from her clenched fists.

* * *

So, there we were: two magicians ready to pound each other to pulp. The scene reminded me of old Western b-movies: the final duel, where the good guy faces the bad guy in the miner's town street, or in the middle of the desert. I could almost here the "Good, Bad and Ugly" music theme in the background. Just to intimidate her, I made my eyes light up, a sickly, ghostly, venomous green, and, for the heck of it, summoned a matching green nimbus around my own fists. 

"You are trying to intimidate me." she stated, matter-of-factly. "You don't need these effects to cast Illusions, do you?"

"No." I admitted half-heartedly. "But I like your style, so I thought I'd copy it. Do you like the color?"

"Marvelous" she replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Couldn't pick anything sicker. You _do _have issues, Smith."

"Says the girl with the anger management problem."

She changed the subject.

"I see you've adopted the Azarathean Trinity Mantras…"

"Yep." I nodded. "Dimension of origin, power channel and power type. Works likea_ charm _forme-pun _intended_. Here, let me show you…" She raised her hands, just as I began my incantation.

"Gaia…"

"Azarath…"

"…Aerion…"

"…Metrion…"

"…_Menthos!_"

"…_Zinthos!_"

Her blast ripped the ground around me apart, but _I _was safe. My spell had implanted a Conviction in her mind: that her powers didn't work in a five-foot radius around me. Casting that kind of Illusions is not easy, I can tell you, but _very_ useful. Subconsciously, she had turned her own powers away from me to comply with that Conviction.

Her attack thundered on for a few seconds, my "shield" holding firm. But both our spells were extremely power-consuming, so we aborted them, almost simultaneously. She was panting, and I was gasping for breath, the pain in my ribs slowly returning. Still, we both were far from over.

Tendrils of black energy wormed their way towards me, wrapping themselves around my hands and feet, attempting to restrain me. I gritted my teeth in concentration and let a wave of pain flow trough the tendrils, back to Raven. She screamed and dropped me, doing her best to stay on her feet. Still, she was _definitely_ holding back: that much, I could feel through her emotional barriers. This wasn't over …yet. No matter. I had kept some tricks up my sleeve too.

"Face it little blackbird." I taunted. "You can't beat me. For all you know, me standing here could be just an Illusion. How will you know if you've defeated me?"

"I can sense you, Smith. Remember? It's you all right…"

Fair point. I changed my approach. Maybe if I tried being irritating…?

"What's with your clothes, blackbird? Not that I mind, of course, but why wear that _hot_ leotard, only to cover it up with a cloak? _Do _you wanna attract attention, or _don't _ya?"

"Like I am taking fashion advice from you." she scoffed, her hackles raised, nonetheless. "The super-villain wearing jeans."

"Oh, now I am a _Super-_villain? Talking about going up in the world. I am flattered that you think highly of me, really I am, little blackbird."

"It's _Raven_!" she growled and seemed to…change. Her cloak moved like a living thing; surrounding her and growing longer. Black magic tentacles shot out and bound me, drawing me slowly towards her. From beneath the shadow of her hood, four livid red eyes stared murderously at me.

If I wasn't planning on that from the beginning, I would have wet my pants. Her true power, finally unleashed, was impressive, to say the least.

But, as Lady Shiva liked to say, over and over, until she sounded like a broken record: "Power without control is useless. To lose control, is to lose your focus. To lose your focus is to lose your alertness. To lose your alertness, is to drop your defenses. And, in our line of work, to drop your defenses is _suicide_." A bit wordy, but true. Raven had power-power without control. In her attempt to destroy me, she had lowered her guard and I was about to use that.

"Gaia, Aerion, _Menthos_!"

My power flared, my aura swirling around me like a whirlpool. I focused on her eyes, and left my body, plunging deep into the darkness that was Raven's mind.

* * *

_A/N: Told you this was going to be a longer chapter_. _Didn't I? **And **it's a cliffy. Told you I like 'em...  
_

_**Worldreaver Prime**: Here's your duel. I hope you're satisfied. Not over though...(evil grin)_

_**Ghostalker**: Thanks man. I plan to..._

_**Vampiric Vanity**: Here you go. Have a cookie...(Mad Mod glares at me)...I mean a _biscuit_! Try this: Google "Cookie Recipe" and pick "I feel lucky". (lol)_

_I think I'll update soon enough. Till then, REVIEW, please! I like reviews. _


	7. Mind Games

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I fumbled around in the dark. I couldn't see anything, but I knew she was there: Her true self, the part of her I needed to find. I could actually _feel_ her presence, which meant that I was very near her. My fingers brushed against a cloak; I pounced as fast as I could and my hand closed over a delicate wrist. I pulled her closer and grabbed her by the throat, choking her. 

"OK, little blackbird" I sneered "Give me some light _now_!"

Suddenly I was standing on a rock that seemed to be floating in starry space. I gasped in shock, vertigo overwhelming me. My hands relaxed for a moment and Raven used my being distracted to land a perfectly placed kick, right where it hurt. I doubled over and fell, groaning as she ran away.

"Damn. There goes my family down the drain" I managed through clenched teeth.

Then the _weirdest_ thing happened. I heard her laugh. A real, happy carefree laugh.

"Good one!" she giggled.

I staggered to my feet and appraised her, baffled. All this was very wrong. She was laughing. When an enemy wizard breaks into your mind and nearly throttles you, you _don't _laugh at his lame jokes and you _don't_ compliment his humour. She was also wearing-I flinched- _pink, _the kind of pink that hurts the eyes. Was _this _Raven's true self? A giggling Barbie wannabe?

"OK." I said. "This is not right. I had expected some trigger-happy, super-powerful mind wardens and all I'm getting is…what the…?"

She giggled. Again. Not an unpleasant sound, but _wrong._ Raven _does not _giggle. It sounds _alien _on her.

"Oh, you're not gonna be disappointed" she said. I winced. Even her voice sounded cheery. "It's a pity, I suppose. You have a decent sense of humour, and I am sure Sarcasm would agree. Still, I guess it has to be this way."

"What way?" I asked stupidly, before receiving a blow on my back that dropped me on my face.

"Booyah!" cried a voice behind me. "High five!" I turned, snarling and froze. There she stood: a green-clad Raven, capering in a victory dance. I looked at the pink-clad Raven. Then I looked back at the green-clad Raven.

"OK." I growled. "Explain, please."

The air shimmered around me. More Ravens appeared; they were all slightly different. All of them were wearing cloaks of different colours and one was even wearing glasses.

"How do you want it, Rage?" asked the green one, looking over my shoulder.

"Beaten, bruised and bleeding." snarled a voice and once again I was hit from behind, landing in the dirt. I looked over my shoulder and saw a red-cloaked Raven, her four red eyes glowing with hatred. _Great_.

"'Rage'?" I stammered. "What the…?" Then it dawned on me. A light bulb did _not _appear over my head, but it was a close thing. "Emotions. You are Raven's emotions."

"He is smarter than he looks." said the yellow-cloaked one. "Which makes him all the more dangerous. Brave, Rage, take him out."

"_Must they…?_" said a small voice and I whirled to face a gray-cloaked emotion, cowering behind Rage. "_It'll make him _mad_. What if he is stronger…?_"

"Shut up, Timid!" hissed Rage, cracking her knuckles. "Oh, I am going to _love _this."

I scrambled to my feet, barely dodging her first punch and managing to put some space between myself and them. I was surprised to find that only Brave and Rage seemed to attack me: the other emotions just stood there, watching with a kind of detached interest. An orange-cloaked one was even…_eating popcorn?!?_ OK, if they wanted a show, I'd give them one.

(**Time flows slowly, time flows slowly, timeflowsslowly…**)

"Your powers won't work in here." the yellow-cloaked one said smirking. "You will have to face Rage and Brave fairly, for we have no powers either."

"_Thank Azar for that…_" came Timid's voice. "_I still remember the time when Rage had powers. I'm sure Cyborg and Beast Boy still hate us for that…_"

_Shit._

Well, I find it very painful to recall the next few minutes. Despite my training with Lady Shiva, I had always been dependant on my powers: without them, I might have taken out _one_ of the two emotions, but there was no way I could hold my ground against both of them. Suffice it to say that I found myself beaten, bruised and bleeding, lying in a moaning heap on the ground.

"How about _that _for trigger-happy mind wardens?" taunted Brave and Rage laughed harshly.

"_I'm sorry they hurt you…_" I heard Timid mumble.

"Shut UP, Timid!" bellowed Rage and kicked me, to let off some steam. I groaned and curled up. I needed a plan. Something. Anything.

A joke. That was _it_! I needed a joke, no matter how funny. In fact, the worse the joke, the better.

"What (cough) t…time is it (wheeze) when your (groan) digital c…clock reads 35:48?" I asked through gritted teeth. I tensed what muscles I could still move, ready to spring. Brave and Rage looked at each other, baffled. I could almost hear their thoughts. _What has that to do with anything? Maybe we hit him too hard…_

"Ooooh, I don't know that one!" I heard Happy cry. "What time is it?" I grinned crookedly. It was working.

"T…time to buy a new clock…" I answered.

All the Ravens groaned, rolling their eyes. Only Happy exploded in laughter. I took my chance, got up and charged her, ignoring the pain from my poor body. Faster than you can say "bad pun" I had placed her in a stranglehold.

"Well, dear…Ravens." I said, trying to make my voice as steady as possible. "It seems we have reached a stalemate. Brave and Rage can undoubtedly kick my ass, but not in time to prevent me from breaking dear little Happy's neck. Can we perhaps reach some sort of agreement?"

Most of the emotions stared at me, horrified, thinking of what Raven's life would be like without a trace of happiness. Brave and Rage were growling, but didn't attack: it seemed like this was working!

"Why, you sneaky son of…"

"Quiet, Rage!" snapped the yellow-cloaked emotion. "Sneaky he may be, but he is also _quite_ devious. I must say I am impressed."

"You…you…WHAT? Traitor!" howled Rage.

"_…Knowledge…_?" asked Timid, eyes wide.

"He is beaten to death's doorstep, and yet he comes up with a plan that turns the tables to his favour." explained Knowledge. "I'm not saying that I approve of his morals or methods. But he is smart and crafty. Rare traits in villains, nowadays."

I mock bowed.

"Thank you. You flatter me. And you are also stalling for time. Shall we negotiate, now?"

Knowledge shrugged and walked up to me, leaving the others wide-eyed.

"That's it?" gasped Brave. "You just negotiate? Knowledge, _you__can't trust this guy_! He invaded our mind, for Azar's sake!" Rage growled her agreement.

"But we attacked him first!" wailed Timid and I jumped. It was the first time she spoke as loud as the others, and it was clear she was having a nervous breakdown. "Oh, I _knew_ this wasn't going to end well." She collapsed shaking and sobbing.

"Is she always like this?" I asked Knowledge, a bit alarmed.

"Yes." she answered. "More or less. But the fact that you are holding one of us hostage doesn't help…"

I looked at the sobbing Timid and felt guilt rising to choke me. But I didn't free Happy. Not yet.

"This is what I propose." I said. "You'll let me out of Raven's mind and _she_ will allow me to escape. In exchange, I'll release Happy and promise not to attack Raven when I get out. And if you like, I'll throw in a promise of not hurting any innocent people during my vendetta. What do you think?"

"You don't want to know." growled Rage. I ignored her and kept my eyes on Knowledge.

"Agreed." she said. I smiled and released Happy, who did a few cartwheels, giggled and hugged me, ignoring my blush, simply Happy to be free.

"_He is going to betray us…_"I heard Timid groan. "_He is a liar. His powers are deceptive. He will backstab us…_"and she collapsed once more, sobbing.

_God, Raven. You _do_ have issues._ I couldn't help but feel pity for the crying girl; so I knelt next to her and touched her shoulder. She froze, petrified.

"I'm not that easy to trust. I know that." I said softly and calmly. "I'm not what you would call a straightforward guy. If you were my enemy, I'd lie and plot and deceive you, to get what I want. But you aren't my enemy. Slade is. I'm sorry for breaking into Raven's mind, I am sorry for invading her privacy, I am sorry for having to fight her. I really am. I didn't _want_ to do it. I _had _to." Timid winced, but I went on. "If Raven keeps fighting me, I'll keep fighting her. But I _promise_ I won't lie to her or deceive her. I promise."

That could have been a mistake. But at the time, I was relieved to see Timid bite her lower lip and nod, somewhat calmer. I turned to Knowledge.

"How do I get out of here?"

* * *

I tested my limbs. Nothing was broken, although my ribs were still hurting like hell. I sheathed my knives and looked over at Raven. She returned the look, her face an expressionless blank. 

"I am sure that Starfire and Robin are going to be all right." I said. "The same goes for Beast Boy. But I think Cyborg will need some help: it is possible that my blast fried some of his circuits. Get him some medical attention as soon as possible."

She nodded but said nothing. I shrugged, walked to my car, which now had a long burn all down the left side and started the engine.

"Did you mean it?" she suddenly cried.

"Mean what?" I asked.

"What you said about being sorry. And about…you not thinking of me as an enemy."

I looked her straight in the eye; not easy. I always tend to avoid eye contact when I'm feeling awkward.

"Yes to both." I said. She nodded, slowly.

"I forgive you." she said, but with no emotion in her voice. "But I _will_ take you down."

I laughed.

"You will _try_, little blackbird." I chuckled. "You will try. But I won't make this easy for you."

I revved the engine and sped away. For one moment I thought I saw a flash of emotion in her eyes, something close to…laughter…? But then I was gone and she was helping her team-mates to their feet.

…_Laughter…?Nah._

* * *

_A/N: And so the duel ends in a stalemate. They both live to fight another day. Sorry for not updating sooner, but I was really busy. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Another wizards' duel is imminent, but _not_ Raven VS John. They aren't the only wizards in Jump, are they? (very evil grin)  
_

_**Worldreaver:** It's not his choice. The more he has to fight, the more of his 'dark side' gets out. And the more dangerous he becomes._

_**Ghostalker:** Oo. Now _THAT _was flattering. I would DEFINITELY__ not mind. But I recommend you wait 'till I finish the story, before you start planning anything. And I am writing a sequel: Anything you write will be _VERY_ appreciated, but, unfortunately, hors-canon for J.S. _

_Please R&R folks! (Sorry, no cookies this time. Mad Mod ate them all.)_;-)


	8. Real Illusions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

(**Slow reflexes. You must be faster. Strike at vital parts. Don't lower your guard**)

To an outside observer, this would look a lot like shadow-fighting. I had cleared the biggest room of my small apartment and was practicing, my feet dancing around unseen enemies, my fists punching what seemed to be thin air.

Actually, I was fighting myself.

Wraiths are the ideal sparring partners. They can be as fast or as slow as one likes, they never tire, never quit and never lose their focus. The one I had summoned was no exception.

(**Yes. Good attack. Good hands-feet coordination. No. Sloppy technique. Try it again. Again. Good.**)

I ended the practice session, dismissing the Wraith and pulling the furniture back into place. I got a quick shower and made myself a cup of chocolate, relaxing on the couch as I sipped it. My eyes fell on the _Book of Azar_, but I shrugged the thought off. I was too bored to study magic.

_Slade._

How would I get to him? I had threatened him, true, but I had no idea how to find him. No genious plan. And my twelve-day period of grace warning seemed to have the opposite effect of what I had anticipated: instead of coaxing Slade into hunting me down, it seemed to have terrified him into hiding. Either that, or he had something nasty up his sleeve. Well, I had to resort to desperate means: _live bait. _

* * *

The "Hook" was as loud as ever: you could hear the music pounding a city block away. How people could get in there and spend an entire night without their eardrums busting, I had no idea. 

The face control guy blanched paler than Raven when he saw me.

"You!" he cried. "What…hey…you're the guy who trashed the guys upstairs the other night! Don't…don't come any closer!" He pulled a gun and aimed at my head.

"Hello Cerberus." I said with a feral grin. "Put that thing away, before you hurt somebody-yourself, most likely."

"Hey, man, I mean it! Mr. M told me to shoot if you come back. I will!"

"No you won't." I said, my grin getting wider. "The safety's on."

He looked at his gun, horrified, and I lept to close the distance. I was lying, of course: the gun's safety was _off_, but he was scared and he fell for it. I got a hand round his throat; the Paralyzer shot to his brain and he went down.

"Sorry Cerberus." I scoffed. "Don't worry: It'll wear off by tomorrow morning. Even quicker if you get help from the Titans."

I took his gun, just to be sure, and stepped in the club, the music hitting me like a moving wall. I winced and dulled my hearing just a bit. Then I raised the gun and fired, aiming at lights and loudspeakers. All hell broke loose. The kids who were dancing screamed and went for the door-others picked the back exit to the beach. The club was empty in seconds. I knew that the mayhem would mean that the Titans would be here in minutes, but clearing the club was the only way of being sure that no innocents would get hurt. I _had_ promised, after all…

Three thugs came running down the stairs next to the bar, guns at the ready. I fired my last bullet, scoring a bull's-eye on the first's right shoulder, and dove behind a table, as they opened fire. The metal table bent under the force of the bullets.

"Gaia, Aerion, _Menthos!_" I chanted and conjured up my Wraith.

(**Once again, you find yourself in trouble. Why do I always have to clean up your mess?**) asked my ethereal doppelganger and jumped over the tables, ignoring the bullets that whizzed through it. It reached the thugs with a couple of strides and knocked them out, returning to me, to replenish my powers.

I ran up the stairs, pulling a small C-4 disk from my pocket. The door leading to the manager's office was much too heavy for me to break down; so I blasted it to smithereens and walked in…only to be blown back into the wall, under a hail of …_playing cards_…?

A maniacal laughter filled the room-I shook my head, my power already acting like a painkiller, only to see a tall, green-skinned, masked man, wearing a tux and a top hat, striding through the remains of the door.

"Presenting…the Amazing Mumbo!" he cried, as if introducing a number in a variety show. "Here to entertain, amuse and _rob you blind_. Here to teach a lesson to all new upstarts, who think they can steal my limelight!"

I got to my feet gingerly and stared into the eyes of his mask.

"Mr. M I presume?" I asked with a snarl. "How nice to meet you."

"I can't say the same for you, young charlatan!" he snapped. "What is this? Don't you know that there is room for only _one_ Illusionist in this city?"

My power flared around me. For the heck of it, I added some special visual effects: the same green nimbus I had used with Raven. Flames of the same color ran up my hands and formed a fiery crown over my head.

"Three words." I growled, my voice deep and distorted, coming from all around us. "Bring. It. _On_."

He whipped out a wand and cried "_Mumbo Jumbo_!" Only my enhanced reflexes saved me from the magical blasts; behind me the wall was peppered with knives. _Ouch._ The guy meant business.

"You like knives?" I taunted him, unsheathing my own daggers. "How about _these?_" Arcs of electricity ran down the blades.

"Kids shouldn't play with knives." he countered. "Presto Change-o!"

I yelped and dropped the two snakes I was now holding; they slithered away. _Great. _I concentrated and gave him a blast of fear-he stepped back, obviously partly resilient, but nonetheless winded. I took my chance and darted down the stairs, looking for cover. Hi heard him cackle when I was halfway downstairs.

"Leaving so soon?" he taunted. "The show's barely started!" Something like a long snake made of multi-colored handkerchiefs wrapped itself round my legs. I tripped and fell, rolling down the rest of the stair and landing hard on my shoulder. I howled, feeling the bone slip out of its socket._ Great!  
_

I scrambled for cover behind the same upturned table I had used before. The pain was overwhelming-too distracting for me to think. I heard footsteps approaching: Mumbo was coming to finish the job.

(**No pain there is no pain thereisnopain**)

"Well, well, well, have we pulled a disappearing act?" taunted Mumbo. "I wonder where you are hiding."

I gritted my teeth and popped my shoulder back into place. The pain was somewhat dulled by my magic, but I still couldn't hold back a soft whimper. Mumbo whirled around-and now I could sense him coming closer, readying himself for his attack. But, with my shoulder back were it belonged, I felt better already.

"You call _me_ a charlatan, Mumbo?" I sneered. "Let me show you some _real_ Illusions, old man."

I got up, my hands clenched in fists of rage and pain. I motioned and the shadows around us lept and danced as if they were alive. I motioned once more and wreathed myself in a cloak of darkness that hung around me like a mantle of smoke. The only things visible were my eyes, glowing with an eerie green light. I looked like a demon from Hell, radiating fear and horror. A nice piece of work, if I may say so. Mumbo retreated hastily, shaken, but he quickly regained his composure, flashing a grin. I had to admit, reluctantly, that the guy had guts. However, every trace of admiration I might have felt for him was swept away when he spoke.

"I have heard this somewhere before, but where…?…_Ahhh, yes_! That blue-cloaked witch used almost the same words before I turned her into a rabbit."

"You did _WHAT?_" I growled, half shocked, half amused.

"Quite a _nice_ bunny she was too." continued Mumbo, his grin getting wider. "Oh, we had _so_ much fun. The best assistant I had in years. I had to keep her in a cage, of course, or she might have run away. And she had to be…_punished_ each time she tried to use her magic; after all we can't have _assistants _running the show. Tie their ears together and rip their tails off; _that's_ what I always say… You know I was _this close_ to making her disappear…_forever?_"

"Enough." I snarled.

"Oh, I _say_! Why the anger? Perhaps I should teach _you _a few lessons as well? What animal though? You run and you hide and you slither…perhaps a snake? Or a poisonous spider, even?"

"_ENOUGH!_" I howled. What had riled me weren't his taunts, but what he had done to Raven. I now knew what her mind was like; I could imagine the pain, the anger and the embarrassment she must've felt, trapped in a _cage_, in bunny form. No one deserved _that_. I only needed to imagine Timid sobbing to get _really_ mad.

Remember me telling Raven that my powers weren't emotionally controlled? Not _strictly_ true. They were emotionally _fueled. What _spell I would cast and _when _I would cast it were always under my control (_thank God for that_). But the _fuel_, the thing that gave my powers that extra _oomph _was emotion, pure and simple. Which loosely translates to: the more I feel, the more powerful I am. Fear is good, in a way. So is anger. Rage is better. Hatred…well, let's say I really _hated_ Mumbo that night.

I blasted him with light and darkness, I sat Wraiths and Phantasms on him, I crashed his mind wards and left him a whimpering, beaten man, writhing on the floor in mortal fear, a black cyclone of Illusions whirling around him.

"Your show is disappointing." I growled, reaching down and grabbing him by the throat. "Bad script. Bad tricks. Bad performance. All in all, _bad act_." He only whimpered as I shook him brutally. I must admit that I felt some satisfaction. _Is that what a bully feels like? No matter. There are more pressing matters to attend to._

"Why were you here?" I snapped.

"…Slade…he…he said you would come back…that I was to stop you…that I was the only one to…" he stuttered. My eyes narrowed.

"Slade." I should've known. One step ahead of me, he had anticipated my next move and set this…(_growl_)…to ambush me. "Where is he?" I demanded. "Where do I find him?"

He shook his head, terrified. "I don't know!" he screamed "_He _contacted me through this…" He reached into his tux's pocket and produced a small communicator, with a spiky "S" insignia on the top. "He said I should call him when you were…"

"When I was dead." I finished the sentence for him. "Fine." It was a lead. I dropped him and he sighed, obviously thinking he was now safe. "You are not off the hook." I said coldly. "It would be fair for me to kill you, but I think…"

He backed away in terror, as I smiled cruelly.

"…I think I have a better idea."

I wove my Illusion and ran; when the Titans arrived, a few minutes later, the only thing they found was a small rabbit, dressed in a tux, with a long green nose sticking out of its face, cursing and howling.

* * *

_A/N: __There you go. Slade strikes back. I think this is enough action for now, so the next chapter will be…different. _

_Thanks for reviewing, everyone. **Please** R&R. Next update as soon as possible. Still typing the #$(!# chapter…slow… :-(_


	9. Masks and Flowers

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I collapsed in my couch, groaning when my swollen shoulder touched the fabric. I did my best to patch myself up, applying some foul-smelling but soothing salve and bandaging the joint as best as I could. I then made myself my usual hot chocolate. 

Ten minutes later I was back at the couch, examining Mumbo's communicator. It was a lead all right, but how could I use it to my best advantage? Calling Slade now wouldn't help me at all: I might taunt him a bit and hope that he might let slip his whereabouts, but that was _very _unlikely. On the other hand, if I wasted time setting up a location tracker to sniff Slade out when he answered, I would make him suspicious, give him time to prepare and risk him not answering at all. Even if he did, he would be sure to relocate after our chat.

I ran my hands through my hair in desperation. I had been offered a gold mine, but I had no idea how to mine it. It was frustrating to say the least. I _definitely _needed some professional advice on this. I finished my chocolate and left the apartment.

* * *

Gizmo retracted his magnifying lens back into his backpack and grunted, eying the dismantled communicator suspiciously.

"It's state-of-the-art." he whined. "Twin encoded frequency, with a 64-digit encoding key and multiple firewalls. There's tech in here I've never seen before. Just take a look at this tri-distortion processor! No way I can bypass this. Where did _you_ get this work-of-friggin'-art, barf-brain?"

I shrugged. I had removed the "S" from the communicator; no reason for Gizmo to know more than he needed to.

"No matter. Could you please repeat what you said, but in English?"

Gizmo mumbled a few obscenities and pointed at something that looked to me like a mass of wires and microchips.

"D'ya see that, scuzball? This distorts the received and transmitted signals, to prevent triangulation detection. Only with a twin transmitter can I apply conventional tracking algorithms."

Seeing my blank look he swore loudly and slammed his fist on the table. "_If you want me to track whoever is on the other end, get me another communicator, stupid! _Jeez, how _idiotic, ignorant_…"

"So, with another chip like this you can pinpoint his exact location?" I asked, happy to finally understand something. Technology really isn't my strong point.

"Oh, it's a _he_, eh?" smirked Gizmo. "Anyway, yes, I could track him. But only in two dimensions. I could bring the tracker signal on a GPS map, if you like, pinpointing every single communicator operating at the same "secure" (_hah!_) frequencies as this one. If the guy you're after has many safe-houses, you'll know about every one with a com system."

"Sounds good." I admitted with a groan. "There's only one little problem. I can't just phone Slade and ask him for another communicator, so that I can track him now, can I?" _Oh shit._

The room became deathly quiet. Even Billy N. and See-More tore their eyes off their video games and stared at me. I mentally whacked myself over the head. Repeatedly.

"…Slade?" whispered Mammoth, his eyes wide. I sighed and nodded.

"You're after _SLADE?_" Gizmo shrieked. "Why you rot-faced, crud-munching brick-for-brains, _WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO BEFORE?!?_"

I blinked. I was missing something here.

"Slade was the one who sent us against the Titans in the first place." explained Gizmo. "We still owe him for that fiasco. That piece of slime was the reason we failed in our graduation exams and he didn't lift a finger to help us when we got busted."

"If _only_ I get my hands on him…"growled Mammoth and cracked his knuckles. The other HIVE members nodded eagerly. I grinned. Now _that_ was unexpected.

"Didn't the Titans fight Slade himself a year or two ago?" See-More asked. "I mean, if anybody has a Slade communicator, it'll be the Titans, right?"

"Right-o, one-eye!" agreed Gizmo. "Here." He slid some sort of PDA across his workbench, over to me. "I built it to annoy Robo-wimp. You just have to plug it in the external security system of the Tower, and the whole security'll crash like a…like a…like a Microdot Operating System! Don't worry about money, for once I will make an exception. It's not every day we get revenge on both the Titans _and _Slade." Gizmo snickered evilly. "When you get in, look for the 'evidence room'. If I remember right, it's somewhere on the third floor. If they have anything of Slade, it'll be there."

* * *

Titans' Tower. God, what an abomination. JLA's Watchtower is stylish-you know, huge orbiting satellite, with a great view. I can see why every superhero aspires to JLA membership. But I don't get why anybody would like to live in a giant T. 

I crawled up to the door, avoiding the all-too-obvious security laser beams lining the path. Gizmo was right. Security in the Tower sucked big time.

Next to the main door was a computer terminal, its screen dark. I plugged in Gizmo's PDA and watched patiently as the screens on both computers lit up. After a few seconds of cheerful beeping, I was given access to the Tower's security system. I chose "_Immediate Shutdown"_ and the PDA took over once more, providing the necessary codes and passwords. The doors hissed open.

I made my way up the stairs, as silent as possible. The Tower was dark and creepy-like; somehow it reminded me of Raven's room. _Perhaps I ought to pay her a visit…_I shook my head, grinning. No good asking for trouble.

I reached the third floor, but found myself unsure of how to proceed. Where was the "Evidence Room"? Noticing a large door at the end of the hallway, I made my choice.

The door hissed open and I found myself in what appeared to be a well-sized living room, complete with large and comfortable looking couches, a small kitchen and a _huge_ window, providing a beautiful view to the city. I grunted, approvingly. Perhaps Titans' Tower wasn't so bad after all.

At the centre of the room was what appeared to be a computer; I walked up to it and plugged in the PDA. It made short work of password locks and the whole window lit up as a screen, displaying the Titans' logo and playing an obnoxious little tune. I muted the speakers hastily.

"When in trouble, you know who to call…blahblerghbluh…blub…" mumbled a voice behind me and I whirled, my power at the ready. It was Beast Boy, sound asleep on the couch. I barely suppressed a chuckle. He was tightly hugging what appeared to be a half-eaten sandwich, and he was drooling all over it. I walked next to him and took a look. It was a tofu hot-dog. I shuddered in disgust, but grinned maniacally all the same. Now I just _had_ to leave a calling card.

I snapped out of it and returned to the computer. I looked up the Tower's blueprints and found the "Evidence Room", not far from where I was. I then downloaded everything in the mainframe to Gizmo's PDA. I owed the guy a lot; this would handsomely repay him. I left out any personal files and any weapons' blueprints, however: I didn't want to give the HIVE an unfair advantage.

I left the living room after shutting down the mainframe and tying Beast Boy's legs together. Chuckling I made my way to the "Evidence Room", opened the door and staggered back: Right in front of me was Slade, his one eye appraising me coolly.

It was a mask. Just a mask, inside a glass box.

Once my heart started beating again, I approached, still a bit uneasy and removed the glass. I examined the mask carefully and found a mic and speaker on the inside: It definitely had a communicator in it.

I suppressed a whoop of triumph. This was all I needed. Without a second look around the room I pocketed the mask and made to leave.

I slapped myself mentally. What about my calling card?

I scanned the room and grinned when I found what I needed. I picked up the little puppet and made for the Titans' rooms, stopping at the living room to get their garbage bin and some paper from the printer.

First was Robin. Easy. I stuffed the little Robin-puppet in the garbage bin and left it in front of his door-I also left a note with only a date, reminding him of our first encounter in Gotham. Cyborg was next. I just left him a note:

_Gizmo says hi._

_Your security stinks_

_J.S._

This would make him mad. Now for Raven and Starfire. Trickier. I doubted if there was anything that could upset Starfire: I had heard she was always the happy optimist. But I had also heard rumors of her being with Robin; perhaps I could use that to get to _him_. I jinxed a piece of paper to look like a ridiculously large red rose bouquet and left it on her doorstep.

Ah. Raven. _Very _tricky. This had to be cheeky enough to upset her, but not really hurt her; I didn't want Raven being mad at me again. I still hurt all over from the last time. Flowers? Maybe, but not roses. Orchids? Nah. Had to be small and delicate-and dark…It came to me in a flash of inspiration. I held a piece of paper before my eyes, willing it to change. It darkened, tore itself to ribbons and twisted itself into a delicate pattern of flowers and leaves. I was now holding a bouquet of jasmine flowers: _black _jasmine, which flashed silver when the light caught it from the right angle. I added the illusion of jasmine smell and arranged them in an illusionary small silver vase I conjured out of thin air. Looked nice…

I suddenly realized what I was doing. Was I really trying to pick the right kind of flowers for _her_? Goddamit, she was a _Titan! _An _enemy!_

"_But you aren't my enemy. Slade is."_

I groaned and gritted my teeth, angry at myself. This was _not _what I needed right now. I had what I was here to get-now it was time to leave.

But still, even when I was steering the Zodiac I had "_borrowed" _towards the shore, I couldn't help but wonder whether she would like the flowers.

_Damn it!_

* * *

_A/N:Here we go, a small break from all the nasty violence ;-) Sorry for the long time it took me to update, but I guess, from now on I'll update weekly. Timetable's pretty much full._

_**Worlreaver:** I know, I _KNOW_! (Sob) I'm trying to stretch it, believe me, but the chapters insist on being short. I'll do my best, and I'm really sorry this is so short, but I can't really promise anything. _

_**Ghostalker/Vampiric Vanity: **Thanks...! What can I say...I really appreciate this. I'll offer you a deal:I'll keep it up, as long as you, loyal reviewers keep reviewing._

_So review, because I really want to end this fanfic. :-)  
_


	10. Did you like the flowers?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

You'd think that even an Illusionist on a vendetta can get some breaks, right? Wrong! I had offered myself the luxury of attending the "Phantom of the Opera", featuring the Broadway cast, on a tour through the U.S. It is one of my favourites and I considered it worth my while to forget about the revenge business, if only for one night, and to enjoy myself. It was a _mistake._

The show started and I found myself glaring at the back of the man occupying the seat in front of me, whose cell phone had rung twice in the first five minutes. Then, to make matters worse, the manager walked on stage and announced that Christine would be acted by the fill-in girl, since the star had fainted backstage-_nothing important, ladies and gentlemen, do not worry, everything is under control…_ The poor girl was one of those singers who consider _what_ they are singing unimportant, as long as they are singing it _loud._ Forty-five minutes later, I was toying with the idea of muting her, but (sadly) never got the chance.

Right at the scene where Raoul and Christine are confessing their love to each other, the doors of the theater burst open and in stormed a small army of what appeared to be ninjas, bearing strange guns. I almost welcomed them: to hear "_All I ask of you_" being murdered in cold blood would be too much.

The crowd panicked, as crowds are bound to do, and attempted to stampede out, but the ninjas fired a few shots in the air and forced them back. I managed to get a good look of one of them, and grunted, irritated. The colors were unmistakable: These guys worked for Slade. How could he have known I was there?

A figure entered and the ninjas retreated before it. I expected to see Slade, but instead I got a skinny middle-aged man, wearing a ridiculous helmet and spandex suit, sporting some extra-large gauntlets and a light-bulb in his chest.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!" he cried. "I am so sorry for ruining your evening but it regrettably has to be so."

"Dr. Light!" screamed a woman behind me in a most dramatic fashion. The villain smirked proudly, and drew himself to his full height.

"Indeed." he said. "It is I, Lord of all Light." One could hear the capital 'L's

"The Titans will get you for this!" cried the woman and an approving murmur rose from the crowd.

"Silence!" bellowed Dr. Light, his gauntlets lighting up. "The Titans will not interfere. Not with you as my hostages! Muahahahaaaa!"

I raised an amused eyebrow. The _"Villain-Maniacal-Laugh"_? I hadn't heard that in years. Nobody uses that anymore…

"What do you want?" asked a man, holding his wife tightly.

"I want to attract the attention of a brat, who is…irritating my very good friend, Mr. Slade Wilson." growled the villain. "You are bait-as are these robotic henchmen he provided me with. Once that no-good troublemaker hears of Slade involvement, he'll be sure to come. And when he does, I'll destroy him! Muahahahaaaa!"

Robotic henchmen? _Crap! _I was powerless against robots. I had to think of a plan, fast, before Dr. Light realized the guy he was looking for was actually in the theater. First things first. The Titans. I had to make sure they wouldn't barge in, or this theater would become a slaughterhouse.

"Gaia, Aerion, _Menthos!_" I chanted under my breath, calling up an invisible Wraith.

**(What is my mission?)**

"Scan the area outside the theater." I commanded. "If you detect the Titans, turn yourself visible and give me direct control of yourself. Go!"

Its presence flickered and I felt it depart. I turned my attention back to Dr. Light and his robots, trying to cook up some sort of plan and failing. Somehow, I had to dispose of all the droids, before they could fire a single shot, but all I could do was enhance my reflexes-not my actual speed. I wasn't _near _that fast.

My Wraith transmitted a warning: the T-car was approaching, followed by Robin's R-cycle and flanked by the flying Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy. I grunted, slid to the ground between two seats to avoid any interruptions and let my consciousness leave my body and enter the Wraith: I was now floating high over the theater, encased in a glowing, white, ethereal body.

I sent out a Pulse, strong enough to attract Raven's attention and dove towards the Titans. They stopped, readying themselves for battle, although Cyborg, unable to see me, kept on driving for a bit before bringing his car to a screeching stop.

"Smith…" growled Robin, extending his bo staff. Starfire's fists and eyes glowed green.

"Robin." I snapped. "Put that ridiculous thing away. It won't hurt me."

"He's right." Raven monotoned. "He's not really here. This is something similar to my SoulSelf we are seeing."

"_What_ are we seeing?" asked Cyborg in a baffled voice.

"Dude!" cried Beast Boy, back in his human form. "Can't you see the glowing bad guy, three feet in front of you?"

"No he can't." I said. "He is immune to my Illusions. He can neither hear nor see me."

"What are you up to?" growled Robin, his eyes narrowed.

"I? I just want to get out of that theater alive." I answered. "Which isn't what's going to happen, if you barge in to take out the bad guys. There are about two hundred hostages in there, and a few robotic henchmen with energy guns, ready to blow their heads off, if you try anything stupid."

"Why should we believe you?" asked Robin. "You're probably lying to prevent us from entering the theater, while you carry out your plans!"

"_Who_ carries out _whose_ plans?" asked Cyborg, scratching his bald head.

"Because," I replied, looking pointedly at Raven "I made a promise, not to hurt any innocent people. I am trying not to break it."

Raven lowered her hood and looked me straight in the eye for a few seconds. I felt her trying to "read" me, but I held her out. She was either going to believe me because she had faith in what I had promised, or she wouldn't believe me at all.

She finally turned to Robin.

"He's telling the truth." she said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"_Who's _telling the truth?" asked Cyborg, in an angry tone.

"But…" stammered Robin, looking at Raven as if she had belted him one over the head.

"Robin!" she snapped, her gaze on me. "_He is telling the truth! _You don't want to trust him, but he's honest. This time, at least…"

"Dude!" cried Beast Boy. "This is _awesome!_ So, this means we don't have to, like, fight him anymore…?"

"No!" scowled Robin. "This time, we'll take his word for it. But next time we meet…"

"I wouldn't expect anything else." I cut in, impatient. The more time I spent out here, the bigger the chance my body would be discovered. "Here's the problem: I can't fight robots. They aren't fooled by my Illusions. The only thing I can help you with is their leader, a certain Dr. Light. He's human, all right! Hey…what?"

The Titans were grinning.

"Dr. Light?" Robin asked with a smirk. "The guy's a pushover."

"Yeah!" chuckled Beast Boy. "Raven kicks his butt every time. One time we met him she was like '_What's the matter, afraid of the dark?' _and he was like '_HELP! I surrender!'_ and then she like drew him inside her cloak and then he was like '_Dark…so dark…make it stop…' _" He noticed Raven's death glare and shut up "Hehe…" he chuckled awkwardly, backing away. "…sorry?"

"Whatever." monotoned Raven. "So…do you have a plan?"

"Depends…" I answered with a grin.

"On what?" she asked.

"On whether the rumors I heard about HIVE's Jinx and a certain 'Kid Flash' are true…"

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, like after a deep sleep. The theater was a mess. People were huddled in groups, droids guarding them. It was a miracle I hadn't been spotted yet. Dr. Light was strutting around, monologuing about how he would crush the little upstart who had dared to cross a friend of Dr. Light the all-mighty!, yadda yadda yah…

(**Can we please get this over with?**) I heard Raven's voice in my head.

(**Go!**) I telepathically answered.

The doors slammed open and red-and-yellow blur shot in, buzzed round the room for a second or two and then was gone.

"What was that?!" cried Dr. Light, his gauntlets glowing white.

Suddenly, every robot was twitching and collapsing, sparks flying from their ruined circuits. Dr. Light stared, baffled, as his army fell apart (literally in some cases) before his eyes.

"Yo, Edison!" I heard Cyborg's voice from the door. "D'ya like my EMP charges?"

The Titans were there, accompanied by Kid Flash, who had planted the small charges on the robots. He was standing next to Cyborg, _flashing (ho ho, bad pun, sorry)_, a cocky smile at Dr. Light.

"The Teen Titans." scowled the villain, as the superheroes fell into the '_Titans' About to Kick Ass (TM)' _battle formation. "I have no time for you. I have a job, and I _will_ do it."

"Will you?" I taunted, getting up. "Everybody says that. Let me correct you there: You'll _try, _no doubt. You'll _fail, _no doubt."

He sneered, momentarily forgetting the Titans. Big mistake.

"Mr. Smith, I presume." he sneered. "I heard you are quite the nuisance. Prepare to meet the brilliance of…YAAAHHHH! NOOO! HEEELP!"

That last bit was because of the black tendrils of magic that had wrapped themselves around him. He was dragged around, only to stare into four livid red eyes.

"You never learn, do you?" hissed the sorceress, and I chuckled. Boy was she _good._ Dr. Light screamed bloody murder as he was pulled closer to the dark girl. I was tempted to let her play, but the people were getting really scared, and I was afraid this would end in a stampede. So I entered his mind and sent him to dreamland, along with a few nasty nightmares to keep him company.

"Nice." said Raven, shrinking back to her normal size.

"Back atcha." I replied with a grin.

A gloved hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I groaned. _Great_.

"You are under arrest, Smith." said Robin. "You have the right to remain silent…"

"Hold it man!" cried Cyborg. "The guy helped us out in a hostage situation, and you arrest him for it?"

"He's a criminal, Cyborg!" protested Robin.

"I agree with friend Cyborg, Robin." cut in Starfire. "To do the a-resting of this man would give me great pleasure, but it would also be dishonorable. He has assisted us in combat and saved the lives of many innocent people."

"Dude, does this have anything to do with him stuffing your puppet in a garbage bin?" asked Beast Boy. "What was that all about, anyway?"

"Or perhaps with the fact that he offered Star a bunch of flowers?" asked Cyborg with a mean grin.

"What…hay, no…what are you guys saying…?" said Robin with a scowl, and they started a fierce argument involving flowers, morals and Tamaranians. I shrugged, relieved, and approached Raven, who was observing them in a nonchalant way.

"So…" I started, feeling a bit awkward. I didn't have much experience in this. "…did you…like the flowers?"

She stared at me. I forced myself to return her gaze. I could hear the '_Sod off' _thoughts.

"_Did you?"_ I insisted. She blushed a bit and raised her hood.

"They were a very good Illusion." she monotoned.

_Yes! I got an answer! _"I didn't ask if you liked the _spell._ I asked you if you liked the _flowers_." I retorted as serious as possible. She didn't answer.

"Oh, come _on!_" I insisted. "Just a simple yes or no…"

"You are worse than Beast Boy!" she snapped.

"I note the lack of denial…" I countered with an evil grin.

"OK, dammit!" she cried and a few light bulbs around the hall shattered. "I liked them! _Happy?_"

"Yes." I answered soothingly. "I am."

She sighed.

"What do you want, Smith?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I want lots of things. Money's good. A new car. A big house. _Not to be hunted around anymore…_ But what I want _right now_? You to call me John."

"Get lost." she snapped.

"Oh, I intend to." I said. "Good night, little blackbird."

"RAVEN!" she growled, without looking at me. "It's RAVEN, goddammit!"

"I know." I said. "And my name is _John._"

I walked away, ignoring the squabbling Titans. I paused for a moment, next to Kid Flash.

"Is Jinx like her at all?" I asked him, pointing over my shoulder to Raven.

"Lot more than you think." he answered, grinning. "Lot more than _she_ thinks…"

"How did you manage it?" I half-asked, half-sighed.

"Three things. My good looks. The flowers. And the way I showed her that she was wrong about herself must've helped." he deadpanned, his grin getting wider.

I snorted and left the building, disappearing into the night.

* * *

_A/N: Yay! Another update, and sooner than I had expected. _

_I am trying, oh so hard, to keep the Titans, and especially Raven in character. Not sure I manage it quite right. Any critical comments will be very much appreciated._

_**Worldreaver: **__You can't complain. :-) This was longer than usual. (I know, it's still short, but hey, I'm doing my best). As for the HIVE, taking on Slade, hey, a man can dream…_

_**Ghostalker: **__lol. No. It doesn't mean anything. As Smith would say: "I'm Making It Up As I Go"._

_**Vampiric**__**Vanity:**_ _Thanks a lot! You got a deal. :-)_

_Next update coming up (don't know when, exactly, but soon enough.) And Worldreaver: The next chapter is **long**……_


	11. Red Tea

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I hovered right outside the Tower, in my Wraith-form, invisible to all. Time passed and the sun came down, turning Jump City Bay's waters to molten gold. Peaceful. Calm. A beautiful sunset. Perfect for meditation. She should come up to the roof…oh…about…_now._

Right on cue, the door to the roof opened and Raven stepped out, her hood lowered. She glanced round the roof, making sure she was alone, and assumed a cross-legged meditation pose. Her eyes closed, her breathing calm and controlled, she hovered a couple of feet off the floor, softly chanting her mantra.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…"

Meditation was something private, and I didn't want to intrude on her privacy again. Not that I couldn't look at her for hours. I let the Wraith become visible, and coughed gently.

Her eyes snapped open, more angry than surprised and she tumbled to the floor, her concentration broken. She was up in a second, her fists wreathed in her dark energy.

"I thought I smelled a rat." she snapped, her voice ice cold.

"That would be Beast Boy, downstairs." I said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for interrupting you and all…"

"Have you been stalking us?" she growled, her eyes glowing white. "Have you been prowling across the Tower invisible, you perverted freak?"

"Hey, _Hey!_" I exclaimed, raising my hands defensively. "Whom do you take me for? I am a thief, fine. A '_cold-blooded murderer', _according to _some._ But not some kind of peeping Tom! I only waited for you, out here!"

She glared, but let her power fade. She nodded, warily. "What do you want?"

"Well…" I hesitated. "…for one thing, I wanted to ask if you would like some tea?"

She gave me a blank look.

"See…I know a nice tea shop, down in the Japanese part of town, that serves the best tea I've ever…"

"Are you mad?" she snapped, her voice so cold it sent goosebumps down my spine. "Are you _asking me out?_"

I scratched the back of my head, nervously. It didn't seem like that good an idea now.

"Well…no, not _quite_." I stuttered. "Not a date _per se…_more like…a…well…"

"A date." she said. "You-a thief, a wanted criminal, a _soon-to-be_ murderer- are asking _me_-a _superhero_-out on a date."

"Well…yes?" I mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

"Get out." she growled. "Now."

She turned defiantly and made for the door, her cloak flowing behind her.

"Raven!" I cried. "Wait!"

I made to follow her, but froze for a moment. In her wake I had sensed something…familiar.

I beat her to the door, and before she could react I had slid my hand under her cloak.

"What…?!" she cried, outraged.

"_Aha!_" I responded, and from a pocket on the inside of the cloak I produced a thin strip of paper, enchanted to look like a branch of silvery-black jasmine.

She blushed a deep (for Raven) crimson.

"Give it back!" she said.

"I never took it." I answered, grinning, and the flowers dissolved into nothing. "How could I? I'm not really here…"

"And wipe that smile of your face!" she growled. "This…isn't what it looks like!"

I nodded, while she pocketed the flowers once more. "I believe you." I said, my grin never leaving my face. "After all, I am a thief, a criminal, a _soon-to-be _murderer; you clearly don't want anything to do with me."

She glared a Glare Of Death at me.

"I was studying your technique." she explained. "Trying to find weaknesses in your spells."

"Perfect!" I exclaimed. "Then you won't mind joining me for some tea. You'll get the chance of spotting my weaknesses, won't you? And if it's that important to you, we won't call it a date. How about…a truce, a half-time in our little wizards' duel." Her eyes softened a bit. "After all, I _did_ help you out the other night-_OK,__I saved my hide as well!_ Come on…What do you say?"

She bit her lip.

"Just tea?"

"Just tea."

She nodded.

"OK, then." I said, suppressing a whoop of triumph. "Try to keep up with me."

* * *

The "Tokugawa" teahouse wasn't very well known, which was a pity. It most definitely served nice tea, provided a pleasant atmosphere and reasonable prices. I guess the only drawback was that it lied inside the Japanese slums of Jump City. Okoro-san, the owner, had no choice but to pay protection money to the Yakuza, but still he was a good friend of Jason and one of the best informants I had. I had asked him to close the teahouse early for the public: it would not be good if people should see a Titan visiting a mob hangout. Not good for Raven's reputation, and _definitely _not good for Okoro. 

He ushered her in, his glance darting nervously round the street. I gave a chuckle and returned to my body, that waited patiently, sitting cross-legged on the tatami floor. I got up and bowed to them as they entered the serving room.

"How pleased I am to see you, little blackbird." I said. "May I introduce Okoro-san, the best tea-brewer in Jump City. Okoro-san, this is Miss Raven."

She bowed gracefully, but Okoro just gave a shudder and rushed to his tea-kettle infested kitchen.

"He is just scared that he will be seen entertaining a Titan." I explained. "Usually, he is far more jovial. Please, make yourself comfortable…"

"You didn't mention that we would be alone." she monotoned, sitting down.

"Well…I had asked Okoro-san to accommodate us before we decided that this wasn't going to be a date." I answered, sitting opposite her. "I thought this would me more…romantic. Of course _now _it does make things a little awkward. I am sorry. If it bothers you, I could set up an Illusion of other guests around us…?"

"It doesn't bother me." she said. "_Keep out of my mind._"

I winced.

"Once again, I prove myself as insensitive as a hippopotamus with heatstroke. My apologies" I said. She snorted.

"_A hippopotamus with heatstroke?_ What a pleasant image."

"Indeed." I deadpanned. "I am good with images. Would you like to order now?"

"Yes." she said firmly. "The sooner we get this over with, the better."

I placed a hand over my heart, assuming a hurt expression. "Ouch!" I said. "That hurt. Are you _that _eager to get rid of me? Still, I guess you're right. Okoro-san!" I cried. "Can we order now?"

The old man entered the room, carrying a huge tray of small pots, all tightly sealed with corks.

"What is _that?_" asked Raven, a small note of interest creeping into her voice.

"Well, Okoro-san does not follow the Japanese tea-serving tradition." I explained, as he left the tray between us and backed away. "He has spent most of his life combining herbs into tea recipes: These pots contain samples of each herbal mixture. Just open and inhale. Then, when you find what you like, order it."

She opened a small flask and took an experimental whiff. Her eyes opened wide, in wonder.

"You like it." I said, grinning. "Don't stop, you might find something better."

"What…?"

"…is in it?" I completed for her. "I don't know. Only Okoro-san knows. But he mentioned once that none of his recipes contain less than eight different herbs."

She popped another pot open, and another. I couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"What about you?" she asked, peering over a flask rim.

"What about me?" I asked.

"Don't _you_ want to order?"

"Oh." I smiled. "I am an old customer. I know what I want. Please, honor me with the usual, Okoro-san."

Okoro didn't smile. He was just standing there, still looking very nervous.

"This one, please." said Raven, raising a red-black slender tube. I chuckled again as Okoro picked up the tray and retreated into his Holy-of-Holies.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"The recipe you picked." I answered. "It's called _Yatagarasu_: Sun Raven. Fitting, I believe."

She was surprised; but she scowled. "There is nothing _sunny_ about me. How exactly is it fitting?" she asked.

"Well…" I stammered. "Have you ever seen your face when you smile?"

"No" she replied, her voice expressionless. "And neither have you."

"Oh, but I have." I said. "In the old observatory? When we declared war? You smiled. And-I am just complimenting here, please don't be mad-it did seem like your face lit up."

For a moment our eyes locked together and during that moment I thought she would smile. Unfortunately, Okoro chose that moment to return, carrying a tray with cups, a pot of boiling water and two bamboo tubes, containing the herbal mixture. I cursed him inwardly, as Raven looked over to him, blushing slightly.

He set the tray on the floor, emptied the bamboo tubes in the cups and added boiling water. The tea took different colors: hers was a deep crimson, mine a lighter orange.

"Don't drink it yet." I warned her. "It's too hot-scalding. Give it a couple of minutes."

I noticed that Okoro was trembling as he returned to the kitchen. This was getting ridiculous.

"I am sorry," I told Raven. "but if I don't want the poor fella to have a heart attack, I think I should go and calm him down."

"Go ahead." she said, not looking up from her tea.

I walked up to the paper door and slid it open. It was a large-ish room, row upon row of steel tables and cupboards. No sign of Okoro. I entered the small kitchen, avoiding the bundles of herbs hanging from the ceiling.

"Okoro-san?" I cried.

I found him curled up against a pantry door, crying softly.

"Okoro-san!" I exclaimed, kneeling next to him. "What is the matter? Please calm down! The Yakuza will never know, I told you, and even if they did, I will protect you. Please, don't be scared…"

"I…am…not…afraid…of the Yakuza." he said between sobs. "I…am afraid…of _you…_John-san."

I was baffled.

"Afraid of _me?_" I stuttered. "But why, Okoro-san?"

"He threatened me!" wailed Okoro. "…said he'd kill Jaro and Iza…"

"Your children?" I asked, still not understanding. "Who threatened you?"

"The masked man…" whispered Okoro, and cold crept down my spine.

"_What_ masked man?" I asked, dread rising up to choke me.

"Black and orange." whispered Okoro. "And his eye…oh his eye!"

"What did you _do?_" I screamed, grabbing his shirt and shaking him back and forth. He whimpered and pointed at a table. On it was a small bottle.

"He said you might bring a lady here. Said she would be half _Oni_…half demon. This would…"

I wasn't listening. The little bottle was labeled: a small cross and an inscription.

_I am the Resurrection and the Life_

Holy Water.

"_RAVEN!_"

* * *

She was writhing on the floor, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her tea was spilled, painting the floor around her a deep red, but she still held her cup tightly in her fist.

"Raven!" I cried again, picked her up and carried her to the kitchen, where I laid her on the first table I could find. "Do you have anything that will cause her to throw it up?" I growled at Okoro. He nodded, terrified, and dashed to his stores.

"I don't know if you can hear me in there," I cried to Raven. "but if you can, fight it!"

Okoro came back and thrust a small vial, full with a sticky black substance in my hands. I uncorked it, held Raven's flailing arms down and poured a good measure of it down her throat. At first it made no difference; for a moment I thought she was beyond help. Then she leaned to the side and threw up, the tea she had drunk mingled with her blood, that sizzled and blackened, as if burned by acid. She lay back again, calmer, but still moaning.

"Hurts…Azar!...It hurts…" she whispered.

"It's OK." I tried to calm her. "You've been through worse. I can't believe that a Titan will die of poisoning, of all things."

She let out something between a cough and a gagged sigh and grasped my hand so hard it hurt. Her breath came out in ragged gasps.

"Help…" she whispered. "The pain…"

I mentally slapped myself. I had forgotten all about my powers. I laid a hand on her forehead.

"Gaia…Aerion…Menthos" I murmured and dulled her pain as best as I could. Her breathing didn't ease up, however. She must've been very hurt inside.

"John-san…?" said Okoro, behind me.

_I'll kill you. Slowly. I'll kill you, you little piece of…_

"What?" I growled.

"The masked man." he said. "He told me…when I had…you know…I should go upstairs and hide. He said he would come for you."

I didn't look at him. With Raven dying before my eyes, it was getting hard to concentrate.

"He will come here?" I asked, stupidly.

"No, John-san." answered Okoro. "He said he would send something…_you wouldn't fool_. He said…"

"OK." I cut in. "I get it. Are Jason's Adders still here? I remember he had let you keep them."

He nodded eagerly. "Downstairs."

"Get them." I ordered sharply. "Shrapnel ammo."

Raven's hand tightened on mine once more. I turned back to her.

"What…was it?" she coughed.

"Holy Water." I answered. "Don't worry. We got it out. You'll be OK."

She shook her head, no.

"No. Too much pain. Too weak. My SoulSelf…hurt. Stops my powers from healing me."

"We'll find a way, little blackbird." I said. "It'll be alright. Relax."

"_RELAX?!_" she had a fit of coughing that brought up blood. "I'm dying and you tell me to relax? What kind of idiot are you, Smith?"

"The optimistic kind. You're not dead yet." I answered firmly. "Don't give up."

She groaned.

"What is wrong with me?" she whined. "I get killed on my first date?"

"I thought it wasn't a date…" I smiled in spite of the situation.

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't know a date if it up and bit you, Smith." she sneered and collapsed in a coughing ft.

Okoro burst in, fumbling with the two Adders and carrying some ammo clips. _Six clips. Not much._

"There you are, John-san." he said. I took the guns and slapped two clips in.

"What is going on?" asked Raven.

"We are going to have visitors." I answered grimly. "Slade has decided to play rough."

Right on cue, the outer door shuddered under a tremendous blow. I gulped audibly. It was a solid two-inch-thick steel door. Okoro went for paper-thin interior walls, but the outer walls were built bunker-like. It was a dangerous neighborhood.

"Get her upstairs. Lock yourselves in the safest room you got. Keep her alive, or by God, you'll wish you were never born." I ordered Okoro.

"Smith?" asked Raven, a note of alarm creeping into her voice. "What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here, alive." I answered. Okoro tried to pick her up, but she flinched away. "It's OK." I reassured her. "He won't try anything, _if he knows what's good for him._"

Okoro blanched, but picked her up. She winced in pain. Another blow dented the door.

"Don't get yourself killed." she whispered. I grinned reassuringly.

"Right now, this is the least of my worries." I said. "How much time until the Titans arrive?"

"They…won't." she answered. "We… don't respond to trouble in the slums. Too…often…too…violent. There's…nothing we can do…Robin says…"

"Bird Brain!" I mumbled, checking the dented door. _Not much time._ "OK, get her somewhere safe." I growled and Okoro sprinted up the stairs, Raven in his arms.

I walked out to the serving room, guns at the ready. For the first time, in a _long_ time, I was _mad._ Not 'annoyed' mad. Not 'furious' mad. Really, uncontrollably, _horrifyingly _mad.

* * *

_A/N: What can I say? This will be, probably, the biggest showdown (in terms of word count, not importance) of the fanfic. Smith VS Sladebots. (evil grin) I tell you, this will hurt._

_Many thanks to all reviewers. Yay! I got another! Hello **Devilchild: **I like it too... _;-)

**_Vampiric Vanity/Ghostalker: _**_Thanks! I think this chapter is longer than usual. Enjoy!_

_Oh, and like I said before, I am trying to keep away from OOCness. Constructive criticism welcomed and asked for. R&R, everybody! Please...?__  
_


	12. Teahouse Showdown

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

The steel door Okoro had installed could only take so much beating: a final blow blasted the hinges off the wall and it fell inwardly, hitting the floor with a sound like a gong. I was ready: my senses and reflexes enhanced to the best of my abilities, Adders at the ready, aiming at the figures that stormed in. I heard the high-pitched whine of energy weapons building up their charge and saw, through the dust and debris, a dozen or so yellow glowing gun barrels.

I ducked.

Two laser beams shot over my head. Another grazed my shoulder and a fourth hit the floor, right in front of my feet, vaporizing everything down to concrete and raising a dust-and-smoke cloud that obscured me nicely.

My turn.

I pulled the triggers and the Adders sprang to life.

BBBRRRRRPPPPPPBBBBRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPP

The sound was that of a wooden plank being shredded by a plane propeller. In full auto, the Adders shot 16 rounds a second. Jason had built them, modifying two Uzis, so they could shoot custom-made shrapnel ammo: In a world of laser guns and grenades that could blow up the Empire State building, the Adders were a bit old-fashioned. But in such a small, enclosed space they were _devastating._

The whole wall across the room was peppered with holes; a hailstorm of small, sharp metal pieces, about half the size of one's fingernail pelted Slade's robots. Most of them were shot to pieces; others, who had managed to get closer, were hit by a more concentrated blast that sliced them neatly in half.

_Click. Click._

I was empty. I retreated back to Okoro's kitchen, taking cover behind a steel table. I discarded my empty clips and slapped in two new ones.

Ten. I had definitely got ten of them. Maybe more.

A laser beam blasted clean through the one-inch thick steel and my left shoulder. I howled in pain, my power kicking in instinctively like a painkiller. I rose and fired again, gritting my teeth, as the recoil traveled up my arm to my wound. Again, every robot in my line of fire-that is every robot stupid enough to follow me into the kitchen-collapsed, shrapnel tearing them to pieces.

_Click. Click._

A robot lept at me, its hands flailing like animal claws; I sidestepped and slammed an Adder down on its neck, snapping it. I spun the body around, throwing it back towards the others. While they were busy avoiding it, I reloaded and fired my last two clips. This time, I did my best to _aim_. Every robot still holding a gun went down.

Hand-to-hand time. _Great._

I discarded the empty Adders and faced my remaining enemies. They were all damaged to some extent, but I was hopelessly outnumbered. I cursed myself for not bringing my knives along. If I got out of this mess alive, I wouldn't make that mistake again.

Three of them charged me, while the rest dove for discarded laser guns. I stepped between them, my reflexes enhanced to the maximum, time almost frozen. I ducked, dodging a blow that hit and decapitated a robot, grabbed the falling head, used the headless body as a shield and slammed it against my two attackers. Then, ignoring them, I threw the head over to a robot that had got a gun, disarming it and knocking it back.

_A gun! I need a gun!_

My eyes scanned the floor. _There!_

I rolled under a robot's swipe and my hand closed on the grip of a laser-gun. I got up shooting. Two robots went down. Another ducked just in time and came up holding a gun of its own. _Shit._

I aimed at its head and was about to pull the trigger, when a vise-like hand closed on my left shoulder, metal claws digging into my wound. I _howled, _and whirled 'round, firing point-blank at the robot's face. Then I spun 'round once more, knowing that I was too late.

The shot got me in the left thigh.

I had no breath left to scream. I managed only a groan and staggered back, narrowly avoiding a punch to my face. I shot wildly around me, clearing a way to the stairs, at the time thinking nothing but how to live for just a few more seconds. More out of luck than skill, I made it.

I retreated up the stairs and realized I should have done so before. Strategically, it was perfect for defense, as the robots could only come up one at a time. They seemed to be thinking the same, because they hesitated, their A.I. challenged by the new situation. I got time to check my wounds. They were bleeding, but no arteries seemed to have been touched, as far as I could tell. The pain was making me dizzy though-even through my Painkiller spell, I was seeing things double. There was no reason to waste power on a useless spell: so I broke it and the sharp jab of _real_ pain I got for my trouble jolted me back to reality. About time too. A robot was chancing its luck, coming up the stairs. I raised my gun, aiming. I pulled the trigger. Robot parts tumbled down the steps.

"Okoro-san!" I yelled, keeping an eye on the retreating robots. They seemed to be taking cover, behind tables in the kitchen. "Okoro-san, where are you?"

A door creaked open, somewhere behind me. I didn't dare turn.

"John-san?" Okoro was next to me. "You are bleeding!"

"I am _fine!_" I snapped, firing a couple of warning shots down the stairs. "How's Raven?"

"Not good. She is coughing up blood. She is dying."

I gritted my teeth. _Pain…No! Think. Think!_

"We have got to get her out of here." I said. "Do you have any transportation? My car has definitely been torn apart by now…"

He nodded.

"Take her and go down the fire escape." he said. "My car is there."

I pushed him back and a shot from downstairs blasted the ceiling behind him. I retaliated, but the robot had found cover.

"_Do I look like I can carry a girl down a fire escape?!?_" I growled. "_You_ take her and go!"

"What about _you, _ John-san?" he wailed.

_Don't dare play the hero, you little shit! _"I'll be right behind you." I snapped. "_GO!_"

He ran back to his room, emerging with Raven in his arms. She looked awful: pale like a corpse, her lips red with her own blood. She managed a glare.

"You look awful." she said and coughed.

"Shut up." I panted, getting gingerly on my feet. _Shit, my leg hurts._ "Don't talk. Just breathe. Do that meditation thingy, if you like."

I shot three blasts down the stairs and limped after Okoro, down the hallway, through a window and down a rickety fire escape. The dizziness was once again taking a hold on me: it all felt like a dream. I slapped myself, hard. _Stay awake! You still have magic to do!_

Once we reached the street I froze, certain that I was dreaming. A fire-red Ferrari, a mechanic's _vision._

"Is _that_ your car?!" I gasped.

Okoro opened the doors, and laid Raven on the back seat. _Pain…Ferraris have back seats? Never mind…pain…_

"A…present from the Yakuza." he mumbled. "Should I drive?"

I nodded. "Take us out of this town. Anywhere, but here."

I limped to shotgun seat just as the first robot emerged from Okoro's window; I shot; I missed.

"Gun it!" I screamed and Okoro did; the car blasted off, running over two droids that tried to stop us.

* * *

"John-san?" Okoro said, after a few blocks.

"Yes?" I snapped. _What now, you traitorous scum?_

"About…Yaro and Iza"

My heart sank like a stone. His children. _Oh damn._

"Yes, Okoro-san?" I said, my voice as steady as I could make it.

"They are in Japan. With their mother. If…if…I die, if…he gets me, can you make sure they are OK? Could you…protect them?"

I nodded. "Yes, Okoro-san." I said. "I'll do everything I can."

His relief showed.

"Thank you, John-san." he sighed. Then, serious and frightened again: "You should help your friend. She is not well at all."

I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned over Raven. She was still breathing, in short, ragged gasps.

"Hey." I said. Her eyes opened.

"No, don't speak!" I said. "Save your breath. Just nod, or shake your head. OK?"

She nodded.

"Good. Do you need to be conscious to heal yourself?"

She shook her head.

"Good. Are your powers soul- or body-bound?"

She gave me a questioning look.

"Oh, come _on!_ I thought _you _were the one who knows everything about magic! What are your powers bound to, your body, or your soul? Let me make this easier: if we were to change bodies, would I get your powers?"

Her eyes widened in understanding. Then she nodded. I sighed. _Thank you God, Azar, X'hal, whatever…_

"Now, let me get this straight: Your SoulSelf is…injured. It…doesn't work properly. It stops your body from healing you. Right?"

She nodded again.

"Well…" I said, grinning. "That makes things _quite_ simple, actually. We only have to get your SoulSelf out of the way until your body is healed."

Her eyes narrowed and then widened in shock.

"Oh, _no you don't!_" she screamed. "I'm not getting in there, _not if you beg on your knees!_"

She coughed up blood.

"Hey!" I said sternly. "I said _shut up!_ And don't make a mess with the seats of Okoro-san's car! Now lower your defenses, or I'll blast them down!"

"Yeah, right…" she mumbled. "As if you could…"

"I'm in a much better state than you are, little Miss Sarcasm." I retorted. "Wounds and all."

Slowly, hesitantly, I felt her mind opening up, psychic barriers dissolving. I concentrated, opening up as well, creating a bridge between our minds.

"Gaia, Aerion, _Menthos!_" I chanted, already feeling the drain on my powers. I couldn't wait for her to come over; I went to meet her. She fought me as I dragged her back to the haven of my mind and, truth be told, I wasn't what you would call 'gentle', but the spell I had cast was exhausting me. I barely managed to finish the job and see Raven's body wreathed in a healing blue aura, before the blood loss and exhaustion took their toll.

I lost consciousness.

* * *

_A/N: Aaaand, CUT! Sorry for the cliffy in the last chapter, but you must admit, this part merited a chapter of its own…_

_This is the chapter I enjoyed writing most of all. It's _the _fight, the one that will twist the plot and give me another 6-7 chapters to work with (grins). And we get to see some RaexOC. _

_**Worldreaver: **__I know. I try to avoid turning the fanfic into some sort of shoot-'em-up, but it's no use. I am an action junkie :-)_

_**Ghostalker:**__He's gonna get out, but barely alive. No more comments, or I might spoil it. :-)_

_**Vampiric vanity: **__lol. What can I say? Bad luck I guess :-). And thanks a lot for the feedback. _

_R&R, folks! John's powers are emotion-fuelled, but this fic is review-fuelled.;-)_


	13. Forest of my Mind

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I blinked

It didn't feel like waking up, or coming to: It felt as if I had always been there, lying in a hospital bed, listening to the soft and oddly comforting hum of the machines around me. It felt _right. _It felt like I was home. It felt _safe._

Why was I there? What had happened?

Who cares? Better to relax and enjoy the silence. It's so rare, nowadays…

The door to the room opened. At least _a _door opened. I hadn't noticed it 'till then. I wasn't really sure if it had actually _been_ there.

A young man walked in. He looked me in the eyes. He smiled.

"You're awake." he said. I nodded.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked, sitting on the bed, next to me. I didn't answer. I _knew_ him. His name…was…just on the tip of my tongue.

"Who are you?" I finally asked.

His smile got wider. He got up and stood next to a large mirror, hanging from the wall just in front of my bed. I was sure _that_ hadn't been there before.

But it wasn't the mirror that held my attention. It was the face _inside_ the mirror.

My eyes darted from my reflection to my visitor, comparing features. Short, dark, unruly hair. Brown, sunken eyes. The nose, healed crooked where it had been broken, a year ago. Everything matched. He was…

"Who _are _you?" I whispered.

"I am Wraith." he answered calmly. "We _do_ look alike, don't we?"

"You're me?"

"In a way. I think like you. I look like you. But, _strictly speaking_, no. I am not you. I am _a part of_ you."

Slowly, effortfully, I pulled my memories back together.

"We are…in my mind…aren't we?" I asked, not altogether sure. Wraith nodded.

"Why am I in a hospital?" I asked.

"You were wounded." he replied. "Your subconscious self created this…environment, because it is the safest place a wounded man could hope of waking up in."

"So…I can get up?"

"Sure!" he answered, grinning. "It is your body that is injured, not your soul. That would be much more…complicated."

I remembered the fight. There had been a fight. Pain. Fear. _Anger_.

"Wounded…how bad? Am I going to be OK?"

"Well…" answered Wraith. "…all this time I am trying to coax your body to heal itself. I have a pretty good image of the situation. Most wounds you got were flesh wounds, so nothing serious, except…the one in your thigh. That was a bugger. The shot missed the main artery, but grazed the bone."

"So…?"

"You were bleeding. Badly. So, in order to keep you alive, I ignored the bone injury and tried to fix the wound itself. You'll live. But the bone…is hurt. Badly. I fear…you'll probably have to limp from now on."

"But…I…" I was frozen. _A limp? Oh God, please no…_ "Can't you do anything?"

"Sorry." Wraith smiled sadly. "Your healing powers don't work like that. What happens is I cast Illusions on your cells. I tell them to multiply _here_, bond over _there, _kill _that _kind of virus. I…that is _you_…can work no miracles. I…_you…_only speed up what is natural. And right now, that bone being healed would be…unnatural. Don't ask me to explain it better. I'm not sure how this works. I know that it is different from Raven's healing…"

A flood of memories hit me like a sledgehammer.

"_Raven!_" I cried. "Is she all right? Is she safe? What happened?"

Wraith chuckled and raised his hands in a 'calm down' gesture.

"Relax. She's fine. A bit confused, and her SoulSelf is still recovering, but she's going to be OK."

"Where is she?" I asked, not entirely convinced.

"Outside." Wraith answered, pointing at the door over his shoulder. She is doing that meditation stuff again. She is very confused by the structure of your mind."

"Meaning…?" I asked.

"Remember her…emoti-clones? You don't have any of those. Your powers are only _fueled _by emotions, not controlled by them, so there is no _need _for emoti-clones. In here, there's just you and me. And I don't really count."

I didn't _quite_ get what he said, but still, it felt good to know that I wouldn't have to face my Happy self, or my Timid self, for that matter.

I got up and tried my shoulder and leg. They felt fine. _Then again, _I reminded myself, _this is not my body, is it?_ I walked to the door and paused, my hand on the handle.

"You coming?" I asked Wraith. He shook his head.

"I've got to check on your healing." he said. "Go ahead. When it is safe to return to your body, I'll let you know."

I turned the handle and opened the door. It led into a…_forest?_

Wraith chuckled behind me. I had used that chuckle a lot myself, and I made a promise to go easy on it from now on. It was _annoying_.

"Go ahead. It's safe." he assured me.

I stepped through the door.

* * *

The forest was quiet; too quiet. No birds singing, no insects chirping or flying around. The only sounds were the gentle rustling of the trees and the crunch of the leaves under my shoes. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only living thing in that forest, except for the trees: old oaks and chestnut trees, and others, all of them growing and blooming. _Living._ It was a peaceful place, yet life was _there_: like a heavy scent you can't identify. This was a place of healing better than any hospital.

She was there, sitting cross-legged on a rock in the middle of a clearing. As soon as I stepped closer her eyes opened, watching me warily. I walked up to her and sat next to her.

Awkward Silence.

"Hi." I said.

Awkward Silence.

"Hi." she said.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine."

Awkward Silence.

"How are _you?_" she asked.

"Apparently OK." I answered, bitterness creeping into my voice. "I just found out that I'll walk with a limp for the rest of my life. Other than that, I'm just peachy."

Tense Silence.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"So am I." I retorted. "But I guess I would be sorrier if you had died."

Embarrassed Silence.

"Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome."

Silence.

"So…what now?"

I shrugged.

"We wait. I'll know when my body is healed enough for me to…go back."

"No." She looked at me for the first time. "I mean…what are you going to do…about Slade…now that…"

I shrugged again.

"I cannot fight him anymore." I replied. "Not with a busted leg. I could set an ambush or something, but it isn't really my style, and I would be sure to mess it up. Anyway, he'll be expecting it. I guess that's it. I'll get out of here and stay low. You should return to the Tower as soon as possible. And be careful."

Silence. She was thinking.

"Why is a leg so important?" she asked. "What about your powers?"

"No." I answered firmly. "No. I tried once. He is immune."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Immune?"

I sighed.

"It's hard to explain…" I ran a hand through my hair and sighed again. "Here's a try: imagine…imagine a mind is a ball."

She half-smiled. "A _ball?_"

"Yes." It was a good analogy. "And, in order to cast Illusions, one must first _catch_ that ball. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes, the ball has spikes, and it hurts. That's mind barriers for you."

She was smiling now. "What does _my _mind feel like?"

I grinned. "Honestly? Like a hedgehog."

"And Slade has many 'spikes'?"

"No." My grin faded. "He has _none_. His mind is like…coated with oil. It slips away. I can't get a grip for long enough."

She was puzzled.

"But…how…?"

"He once said something about fighting the Devil himself and conquering death…"

Her eyes closed. She knew. She nodded.

"Trigon."

"What about him? He's your father, right?"

She stared.

"How did you know?"

"Remember the video I showed you, where you fight Terra? I was puzzled. '_Why four eyes?'_ I did some research and ran across Trigon. He was the only four-eyed demon I could find a mention of in the 'net. The rest was somewhere between deduction and a lucky guess."

She shrugged, as if it wasn't important.

"Three years ago he came to Earth, froze time, turned everybody to stone and took over our dimension."

"Let me guess…until you stopped him."

"Yes." It was a statement. No emotion. No satisfaction.

"Where does Slade fit in?" I asked.

"Trigon raised him from the dead to do his bidding, but in the end, Slade turned against him. He helped us in the final battle."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I went up against an Undead?" I asked, _slightly_ unnerved.

"No, he descended to Hell and got his body back. He is alive. Human."

I wolf-whistled. No wonder I couldn't break into this guy's mind.

"What was your plan?" she asked. "I mean, if you knew your powers wouldn't work…?"

"They don't work on _him_." I said, with a small grin. "They'll work on me. I can improve my reflexes and dull my pain. I was planning on hand-to-hand."

She laughed. Loudly. Mirthlessly. "You would've been killed. You would've been _way_ outclassed, powers or not."

_How do you know, damn you? How do you know what I can or cannot do?_

"We'll never know, will we?" I spat. "I'm not about to fight him jumping around on one foot, am I?"

Angry Silence.

"So, you're going to be on the run for the rest of your life?" she snapped.

_Like you care._

"I thought you didn't want me to kill him." I countered. "What's the matter? You're getting your damn wish!"

"You won't last long."

_I know, damn it! Do you have to remind me?_

"Don't worry about me, little blackbird." I replied, as sarcastic as possible. "I can take care of myself. Go back to your Tower and keep on fighting pink blobs and crazed megalomaniacs."

She spun around, eyes flashing white, her black aura forming around her. I jerked back and concentrated and her power died.

"A-a-a! My turf, my rules. No meany-hurty powers inside my mind, little blackbird. You might hurt…"

_SLAP!_

Her hand landed on my cheek with a sound like a firecracker. It stung like a scorpion bite. I returned her glare and we stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally, I looked away.

"Sorry." I said. "I acted like…"

"A hippopotamus with heatstroke?" she snapped. "Yes. Yes you did."

I snorted, not looking at her.

"Are you worried about me Raven?"

"You are doing it again." she monotoned.

"I don't care. Answer the question."

Stubborn Silence.

"Well?"

"I don't want you to die." she finally answered.

_A diplomatic answer._

"I'll take that as a _yes._" I said. "I _won't_ die, don't worry."

"Where will you go?"

I thought about that for a bit.

"First…Gotham, I guess, to our old safehouse, to clear my bank accounts and set up a few false trails. Then…I'll see. Perhaps Europe, or China. I'm not sure."

"Will we see you again?" she asked, her voice carefully emotionless. I grinned.

"No. Absolutely not. _I _might see _you, _though. You won't know I'm there though. I can't risk Slade finding out where I am, and he might, if he gets to you."

Awkward Silence.

"So…this is goodbye then?" she asked.

"No." I replied. "It will be goodbye when we get out of my mind and back to our bodies. I wonder where Okoro-san has taken us."

"To the mountains, east of Jump City." said _my voice_, behind me. I turned and saw Wraith hovering cross-legged, grinning.

"How do _you _know?" I asked. Raven didn't seem at all surprised that there were two of me; then again she had _seven _emoti-clones inside her head.

"One of your eyes is half-open." Wraith replied. "We're getting some sensory information."

"_I'm_ not getting anything." I snapped.

"_You're _unconscious." Wraith deadpanned. "But not for long. Your body is healed. So is Raven's. You can go back anytime."

I looked at Raven who avoided my gaze.

This _is goodbye._

"Let's get this over with." I said.

A flash of color; a spinning, dizzy sensation, a blur and then I was falling…falling…falling.

_Bump._

'_Welcome to the real world', eh?_

Bummer.

* * *

_A/N: Yes! No action in this chapter. There's still hope for me. I'm on the road to salvation. :-)_

_Well, I guess you liked the fight scene. Things are going to be quieter from now on. _

_You can't expect a lame guy to play Rambo, can you? (by the way: **Disclaimer: **I don't own Rambo.) lol_

_Thanks for the reviews. I'll update as soon as I can. Maybe tomorrow (yay). Maybe next weekend. :-)_


	14. Goodbye, little blackbird

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I opened the car door and stepped out to the side of the mountain road overlooking Jump City. The city lights sparkled like Christmas tree decorations and out in Jump City Bay ships entered and left the harbor in a string-of-pearls. How poetic. 

I really wasn't in the mood for this.

I grabbed my pants' left thigh and tore the fabric, exposing a nasty-looking scar that still throbbed. I wasn't much of a doctor; but I could both see and feel that Wraith had been right: the shot had grazed the bone. I was lucky beyond words that it hadn't cut the main artery.

I bent my legs and crouched into a fighting position: I had to bite my lips to hold back a scream of pain. No luck. Wraith had been right all the way. I couldn't fight Slade like this.

"Shit." I spat, collapsing on the ground.

"John-san? Are you all right?" asked Okoro, kneeling next to me.

"I've been better." I snorted. "But I'll still live."

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked.

"No. Yes! Please, visit this address. It's my hideout. Make sure the police-or anyone else for that matter-doesn't find anything important. Burn the book you'll find on my desk. Store my electronic equipment and my knives; I'll be back for them as soon as I can." I scribbled the address on a bit of paper and gave him my keys. "And then leave Jump City for good. It's not healthy."

"Yes John-san."

I got up groaning and leaning on him and hobbled to the car.

"Let's see how our fair maiden feels." I mumbled and leaned over the back seat. Raven was asleep and looking fine.

_Yeah. 'Fine'. Like she would look if she had fallen off a ten-story building. _

"Wake up, sleepyhead." I grunted, administering a small jab with what was left of my power. She woke with a start.

"End of the road, sunshine." I said. "Come on. Mind your head."

She got out and managed to stand. We were both a pretty sight: covered in blood, pale and barely able to stay on our feet.

"Can you get back to the Tower on your own? Or do you want Okoro-san to give you a lift?"

"I can manage." she snapped, making a valiant effort not to lean on the car for support.

"OK." I shrugged. "So…this is it."

"I guess."

I turned to look at Jump City one last time. Somewhere out there was the man who had killed the only family I ever had known and who would get away with it. It felt like shit.

I would not forget though: one day, if I survived that long, he would be old, and tired and I would be back, and he would be sorry he was ever born. _That's a promise, Slade, you bastard…_

"How will you get to Gotham?" asked Raven.

"I'll hitchhike." I answered absent-mindedly. "I've always liked hitchhiking. I always seem to get on the first passing car. It's like magic."

She smiled.

"Why not take my car, John-san?" asked Okoro, out of the blue.

"Kind of you to offer it, Okoro-san," I answered. "but a fire-red Ferrari is not what you would call inconspicuous."

I limped to the side of the road and sat down, groaning.

"I'm so sorry I can't help." said Raven as she knelt next to me. "Your leg is _already healed._ Badly, of course, but I can't heal scars, or badly mended bones…"

"No matter." I moaned. "It'll get better in time, I think."

I knew that it wouldn't and she knew I knew.

"Go, Raven." I said, gently but firmly. She nodded, got up and stepped back a couple of paces; then she stopped in thought.

"Will you answer a question?" she asked.

"Depends. Maybe. Ask away." I replied.

"What's your name? Your _real_ name, I mean."

I threw my head back and laughed.

"I can't answer that, Raven." I said.

"You don't trust me?" she asked, a note of bitterness creeping into her voice.

"That's not the issue." I replied, still grinning. "The truth is _I don't know my name._ If I ever had one, in the first place."

She gave me a blank look.

"I'm a John Doe." I explained. "My earliest memories are from an orphanage in Detroit. I was abandoned right in front of its door. Parents unknown. Origin unknown. I have no idea who I am. Back there, I was John-John _Doe_ in every official record, but simply John to everybody. It stuck. Then, when I was about ten years old, my powers started manifesting themselves, slowly at first. I noticed that when I wanted to be alone, nobody could see me. I noticed that every time I fought somebody, I hurt him more than I would, if only my fists were involved. I noticed…anyway, the others noticed it too. I was considered a freak. It was _weird_. Nobody tried to hurt me, _physically_, but I was…shut out. Ignored."

Raven hadn't moved a muscle.

"I ran when I was twelve. I don't think anybody tried to find me." I continued. In a way it was nice, getting all that off my chest. "I became a street rat. Quite an _accomplished_ one, if I may say so. Invisibility is pretty useful, when you're picking somebody's pocket."

I paused, for dramatic effect.

"Then Jason caught me. I had been…clumsy. He recognized my…talents, and took me in. I became part of the team. He too called me just 'John'. As for 'Smith'…it's as good as anything I guess. I picked it mainly to annoy Robin, of course, but I rather like it more than 'Doe'. Silly, I know, but…"

Raven stared, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry." she stuttered.

"Nah, don't be." I said, my voice as cheerful as possible. "Your father is a Demon Lord: that beats _my _tragic life story anytime."

She didn't answer, nor did she move. I waited.

"You should go now." I finally said with a sigh.

She nodded.

"Goodbye, Raven."

"Goodbye…John. And thanks."

I was still grinning, a twisted, lopsided grin as she slowly lifted herself off the ground and flew towards the Bay. She didn't look back. In a way, it was a relief.

"I am sorry, John-san."

"It's OK, Okoro-san. You should go too. And…be careful, all right?"

The Ferrari's engine roared to life, pebbles flew and the car sped towards the city.

Five minutes later I sighed with relief as I saw the headlights of an approaching car. I got up, signaled, cast a small spell and the car stopped.

"…Gotham…?" I asked the young lady on the wheel.

"Yes, sir." she answered, her eyes staring blankly at the road.

* * *

_A/N: Here you go. A short-ish chapter, just so I can update today._

_I'm giving clues about Smith's origins. :-) There is ONE DC hero (or heroine) who is related to him. Cookies to anyone who spots him or her and PMs me with his/her name. _

_IT'S NOT A TITAN!_

_DON'T!!!! REPEAT DON'T!!! hazard a guess in a review. _

_Anyways, Smith won't find out 'bout his family in _this _fanfic. Maybe in a sequel. I'm still thinking it over._

_**Worldreaver:**__Thanks:-) I agree ('bout action)._

_**VV:**__Yep, I know it's you :-) Thanks a lot. _

_R&R, everybody! Thanks in advance!_

_Phaethon__out-_


	15. The Boxer

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I don't own the 'Boxer' song (I think Simon and Garfynkel own it). I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

Gotham

I had spent almost ten years of my life in this city, but it still gave me the creeps come nightfall. It resembled a giant labyrinth, with its gothic buildings and the chaotic pattern of its streets. Lights were taboo: it seemed that the city itself shunned anything that could ruin the spooky mood.

All-in-all, not the place you want to be carrying three million dollars around with you.

I walked into a street corner pub that seemed to have been time-frozen during the 70's-or even before that. There was a jukebox in a corner, for God's sake. But it was lit, my leg was getting tired and I couldn't find a taxi.

"What's it gonna be?" asked the bartender, wiping a glass clean. There were a lot of dirty mugs next to him, but he kept on wiping the same glass, over and over again, with a simple, almost hypnotic motion.

"Beer please." I answered, laying $20 on the table. "Any beer."

"Hold on." he mumbled, poured something that resembled ale in a tall glass and set it before me, with my change.

"Thanks." I sighed and tried it. Not bad. I lay back on my chair, absent-mindedly rubbing my thigh to ease the cramps, while I looked at the traffic outside.

I had cleared all accounts and carried most of the money with me; I had purchased airline tickets for Metropolis, Bludhaven, Paris, Rome and Beijing, none of which I planned to visit; I had even brainwashed some railway station employees to believe I had taken the A37 train to Canada. It was enough. If anyone (that would be Slade) tried to find me, he would have many trails to follow.

My staff slipped and I caught it before it hit the floor. I absolutely refused to use a crutch. I preferred five feet of sturdy oak; granted, people stared, but I could use it as a decent weapon and it made me feel cool; not unalike a wizard. Now I only had to grow a beard…_I wonder if I'd look better with a beard…?_

"Do you have something stronger?" I asked the bartender.

"How old are you, kid?" he asked, suspicious.

"Twenty-one." I replied. "Don't I look it?"

"Show me some ID." he answered, grinning. _A beard._ _Definitely._

I sighed and produced my driver's license. The name on it was Sam Bearer, but the rest was accurate. No Illusions. I wasn't in the mood. They'd remind me…

_Stop it right there, John!_

The bartender nodded, satisfied, and set a vodka-like drink on the table. I gulped it down. It tasted like hell. I made a face.

"Jeez man!" exclaimed the bartender. "Go easy! What's the matter, girl dumped you?"

_Ah, the irony of it all…_

"Close." I answered with a lopsided grin. "Close."

He shrugged, decided I wasn't worth his time and went back to wiping his glass. I looked out the window, suddenly feeling very cold.

_Are you going to stay here, drinking? Slade must be searching for you as we speak!_

So?

_He's gonna kill you!_

And I was going to kill _him_. Like I said, the irony of it all. Best laid plans of mice and men, all crumbling because of a _BLOODY DAMN SHOT IN A LEG!_

_Pity yourself later. Now move!_

That last commanding thought reminded me a lot of Raven. I half-grinned and spotted a taxi, stopped in a red light.

"Thanks man." I slapped a fifty on the table and got up with a small groan. "Keep the change-I won't need it."

"Are you OK?" he asked, a note of worry creeping into his voice.

"Juuuust fine." I answered bitterly and half-walked, half-limped outside, hailing the cab as I went.

"Where to?" asked the driver, once I had sunk into the back seat.

"East Airport." I replied. "Take the route through the city center."

I wanted to have a last look before leaving for Steel City.

Which proved to be a good idea.

Just outside the City Hall, police had barricaded the street. High above the building, the Bat-signal turned the night into day.

I paid the cabby and got off, leaning on my staff.

"What's going on?" I asked a police officer, who was trying to convince people that picking another route to their business would be a good idea.

"Scarecrow's holding the mayor hostage." answered the cop. "Batman's gone in. We expect him to…ah, there he is."

A window in the first floor exploded outwards and a skinny, rag-dressed man with a hood landed hard on the lawn, right next to a DO NOT STEP ON THE GRASS sign. A black blur went after him, cape billowing behind it. I watched with detached interest: Batman was an intimidation expert and I might pick up some ideas. He leaned over Crane and seemed to exchange a few taunts with the criminal. Scarecrow cackled madly and raised a hand; I saw his fist holding something. Batman froze. Cold shivers ran down my spine.

"Everybody_DOWN!_" I yelled as Scarecrow hit the detonator.

Several cars parked in strategic spots exploded. The shockwave blew everybody off their feet and chunks of concrete and asphalt rained all around. Scarecrow had obviously rigged explosives to the power lines as well, because every light in a ten-block radius was extinguished. There was no need for electric lights however; the burning cars lit the street just fine.

I got to my feet seething.

"Can I please get _one_ day without something _BLOWING UP AROUND ME?_" I howled to no-one in particular.

I heard dull thuds and screams from inside a car that had been turned upside-down. The driver and his daughter in the back seat were still alive and kicking.

"Get back!" I barked and drove my staff through the car window. It shattered into a million shiny fragments, and I helped them crawl out. I dulled the pain of the girl, who had a nasty bruise and checked the situation. Batman was helping people across the street, Crane obviously forgotten.

I scanned the shadows, my eyes adapting to the low lighting. I saw the skinny figure flitting down an alleyway and heard a faint cackle.

"Oh no you DON'T!" I growled and made to follow. After a few steps, my left leg buckled. I cursed.

So be it. If _I_couldn't follow, I knew someone who could.

"Gaia, Aerion,_Menthos!_"

I shed my body off like a glove and hovered off in Wraith-form, darkness billowing around me like a cloak. I darted after Crane, tracking his aura.

I caught up with him in the third alley, while he was trying to open a sewer hatch. He saw me swooping towards him, like a monstrous bat, eyes glowing green, and managed one shrill, terrified shriek before darkness enveloped him.

"You like fear?" I growled, my voice coming from everywhere and nowhere. "_Have_ some!"

He fell to his knees, screaming as I pounded into his mind.

"Comfortable?" I taunted. To me, it was no longer Scarecrow writhing on the ground: the face I saw was Slade.

"I wonder how a human being can turn out to be like you." I growled. "Not that I am a saint, but there is something _very_ wrong with you. Perhaps, if I dig deeper into this empty well you call your mind, I can find out what it is…?"

Another painful jab of fear. His screaming had ceased; he had rolled himself into a fetal position, moaning softly. From his pocket, a spraying can clattered to the ground. In my Wraith form, I couldn't pick it up; I wasn't really there; but I knew what it was. Crane's fear gas.

…_Crane's fear gas…?_

…"_You would've been killed. You would've been way outclassed, powers or not."…_

…"_He's alive. Human."…_

…_Crane's fear gas…?_

It came to me in one of those brilliant flashes of inspiration. It was like…like a puzzle, when the lost missing piece is found and _clicks _into place and, suddenly, you get to see the image. I felt like whooping in glee.

"Get up, Crane." I growled.

No response.

"Get _UP!_" I roared.

He scrabbled to his feet.

"Take that gas canister and drop it in that garbage bin."

He did as he was ordered.

"Now, _get out of my sight._"

He didn't need to be told twice; he disappeared down the sewer in a second. I cast a few Veils on the canister, making sure no-one would find it until I got there, and returned to my body.

I had a weapon to pick up.

* * *

The 2000 cc engine roared beneath me as I sped down the highway to Jump City. I shifted gears and accelerated to 120 mph-any faster than that and I was no longer…_comfortable_.

_Love at first sight I guess._

I had just picked up the gas canister and was getting ready to leave Gotham for good, when I had noticed the silver-black GMB 2000 sparkling, dead centre in a motorbike trader display window. The retailer had made a face when I had walked in, muddy and bruised, and asked to buy it, but had conveniently shut up once I shoved three million bucks in cash under his nose. He even offered me a helmet with an integrated HUD display, providing cruising information and GPS mapping.

GMB focused on cars, but the occasional bike was a _whopper._

I shot past a couple of cars and grinned. I had left Jump City in shame; I was coming back in _style._

"Tuner." I said and the helmet's built-in radio scanned the frequencies and presented me with a list of radio stations. I let it pick one at random and smiled at the familiar guitar chords.

_I am just a poor boy  
though my story's seldom told;_

_I have squandered my resistance  
on a pocketful of mumbles  
such are promises…_

I concentrated on planning my moves: First I'd get my gear back from Okoro's safe room. Then, I'd do something that'd attract Slade's attention and that would dash any hopes of his that I had abandoned my plans. Maybe another visit to the _Hook_ was in order. Then, I'd pay Raven a visit…

_Or maybe that'll be the _first_thing I do…_

I laughed out loud. I felt _good._

…_I'm laying out my winter clothes  
and wishing I was home,  
going home…  
where the New York city winters aren't bleeding me…  
leading me…  
going home…_

Oh yes._Going home_. I felt _good._

…_In the clearing stands a boxer  
and a fighter by his trade  
and he carries the reminders  
of every glove that laid him down,  
or cut him  
till he cried out, in his anger and his shame:  
'I am leaving, I am leaving!'  
…but the fighter still remains…_

I chuckled at the irony. Yesterday it was me crying out "I'm leaving". Today, I was returning to the ring. _Does this make me a fighter?_

I laughed again. _Who cares?_

The horizon was lighting up; but it wasn't dawn. It was the lights of Jump.

To me, they were like welcoming fireworks.

* * *

_A/N: I'm back, after a long break. Sorry for taking so long. _

_(Bows deeply) I am very flattered by all the reviews. I hope I won't disappoint you. _

_**lost**__**prince/kayleigh/crimsonrose:**__Yay! Thanks for reviewing guys! It really means a lot._

_**lost**__**prince: **__Thanks for a very detailed review. I _will_make a sequel, but I'm still working on it, so it'll probably be some time until I start uploading._

_**kayleigh:**__Course there will be more chapters. The story isn't "complete" is it…? (grins)_

_**Ghostalker/VV:**__What can I say? You guys are great. Ghostalker, sorry for not reviewing 'Finality', but I've been away for a while and had no access to a PC. I'll be checking on Tylan shortly. :-)_

_Isn't "The Boxer" a nice song? I just _had_to use it, so I'm sorry if it gave the fic a song-fic-y quality. I love the original Simon and Garfynkel edition, but Joan Baez has sung it beautifully too. If you've never heard it, try YouTube. You're bound to find it there._

_The next chapter will take some time as well. I'm still typing it. Probably Thursday. _

_-Phaethon out_


	16. Once a coward

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

I parked my bike in the harbor, put a spell on it to make it look like an old rusty moped and sought a quiet place among containers and silent loading cranes. I sat, cross-legged, and floated off my body in Wraith-form. 

I had flown halfway to Titans' Tower when I reconsidered. What was I doing?

Chances were that everybody would be asleep. After all, it _was_ 5:00 a.m. I shrugged. I could wait.

I let my ghostly body land on the rocky shore of Titans' Island and faced the city, enjoying the kaleidoscope of lights and distant city sounds. A slow-moving cargo boat entered the bay and inched across the cityscape, its lights blinking like Christmas decorations. How poetic. I shook my head. Was this a deja-vu?

I twiddled my thumbs. I whistled a few notes-pretty hard when you have no actual lungs or lips. I counted the lit windows of the buildings across the bay and gave up at 3.846. I could wait.

Maybe a short walk would make the time pass faster.

I got up, turned and froze. Not ten feet away stood Raven.

"I saw you coming." she said, her voice low and quaking. Her hood was down and I could see her eyes, brimming with tears. I found myself tongue-tied; all I could do was nod. We just stood there, facing each other.

"You_ bastard!_" she finally said, her voice breaking. "You _lying, two-faced, deceiving…_"

She broke down, sobs racking her body. Stones exploded all around us. I winced as one fragment blasted through my head; thank God I was a Wraith.

"Raven…?" I stuttered, stepping towards her. "What…?"

"_DON'T TOUCH ME!_" she screamed, raising a warning hand. "Don't you _DARE!_ You _LIED!_ You are just like Malchior, _just like him…_"

I confess I had _no idea_ what she was talking about-which made the whole situation worse, as I had no idea what to say.

"Raven…_please._" I tried to calm her. "What's wrong?"

She took deep breaths, trying to stop crying. All around us, her powers were still raging. I had no idea if the rest of the team would be somehow alerted, but I didn't really care. All that mattered at the time was to find out what the hell was going on.

"You said you'd _leave._" she hiccoughed and then spoke at lightning speed, her voice punctuated by sobs. " '_Oh, I'm lame and useless.' 'So sorry.' 'I've had a terrible childhood' 'I got hurt protecting you'. _ And then you say goodbye and tell me '_You should go!' _and I leave, and I wonder why you have to go, after all being lame isn't so bad, I mean look at Cyborg, and I felt disappointed because you are a coward and then you just show up the next night, so you never left, so you're not a coward, you're a liar, which is worse, and I feel awful and…"

I was listening to her patiently, trying to make out separate phrases of what she said. After a good minute or two, I held up a hand.

"Whoa,_ whoa!_" I cried. "One thing at a time. I_ lied _to you? Raven, I'd never. You know that."

She shook her head and looked away.

"I_ did _ leave Jump City." I continued. "And I'm back. And, this time, I'm staying."

"Then why did you leave in the first place?"

"I was scared and I wasn't thinking. All that mattered at the time was to keep you out of this mess and to escape Slade."

She still looked uncertain and wary, but she was listening. And she wasn't crying anymore. So far, so good.

"So, why are you back? What changed?"

"I thought things over. I got some new cards up my sleeve. And I wanted to see you again." _That last bit might have been a mistake, John._

She shook her head emphatically. "No. You are lying again. Just like before. Timid was right all along-lying is all you do. I was a fool to believe everything you said in the first place. Even your leg is probably fine. I bet you've been lying about _that_ too."

_Ouch._

"God, Raven, are you listening to yourself? Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know. I don't _care._ Just go."

"Raven. I. Never. Lied." I protested, feeling hopeless.

She didn't meet my eyes. She turned and made to leave.

"Check my memories." I snapped, despairing.

She stopped, shocked. Letting someone into one's mind is one thing; giving him access to one's memories is another. There are no lies there. Only the truth; and the truth is not always welcome.

"_What?_" she gasped.

"You heard me." I said. "If that's what it takes, so be it. I'll drop my barriers now."

She just gaped.

"Why do you do this?" she asked.

"Why do you think?" I snapped, frustrated. "If you don't know the answer to that question already, you're stupider than I thought."

She pondered this for a moment.

"Get on with it!" I growled.

She closed her eyes and I felt her enter. It was more uncomfortable than I had thought. It was like…confession. Like visiting a psychiatrist; but there was nothing I could hide. I relived the past day; arriving at Gotham, setting up false trails, visiting the pub, fighting Scarecrow, returning to Jump, flying to the island, talking with Raven…

I gritted my teeth as she withdrew, giving me my mind back. She was blushing.

"You weren't lying." she said.

"No, I wasn't." I grumbled.

"I'm sorry."

"So am I."

She darted forward and before I could do anything she had me in a crushing hug. Once again, she was crying. This was awkward, but _not_ unwelcome, so I decided to return the hug.

_Let's see where this leads…_

"It's OK, little blackbird." I said softly.

"No, it isn't." came the muffled reply. "I'm sorry. I don't trust people easily. And I _hate_ being lied to."

"We all do." I answered with a grin.

"You don't understand." she countered. "Three years ago, I was reading a book…"

For the next ten minutes I was quiet as she recounted her time with Malchior: How he had lied and deceived her and how he had betrayed her trust. I could see that he had meant a lot to her and that his betrayal had broken her heart.

"…so I thought you'd lied to me too and I didn't want that again, not_ again…_"

_Oh, dear God…_

"I'm sorry, Raven." I said. "Really sorry." I smiled. "Don't worry. I am no saint, but I would never hurt you like that."

We hugged again. It was innocent enough; at leas I don't think _she _wanted anything more than to express relief and gratitude. For me, it was-like before-welcome, but not _that_ innocent. She must've glimpsed some of my emotions, because she pulled back with a shy blush.

"For someone who likes his personal space, you definitely hug often." I joked, trying to make light of the situation. She smiled.

I looked around us. Rocks were still smoking from her outburst, ten minutes ago, and everything in a thirty-foot radius was flattened. I wolf-whistled.

"So, this is what happens when you let loose, eh? Impressive. Thank God you held back during fights: I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of these blasts."

She seemed to notice the destruction around us for the first time.

"It's not impressive." she said, miserably. "It's pathetic. Look at this; I can't feel _anything,_ or this happens. I could've hurt you badly."

"Well, we might be able to fix that." I said with a chuckle. She stared.

"What do you mean?"

"I claim greater ability in mind tricks than anyone in your team." I answered, serious. "Even you. I'm sure I can think of some way to nullify your powers for short periods of time, so you can feel emotions without unleashing Armageddon."

Her eyes brimmed with tears again.

_Oh, come on! That should've made you smile!_

"Thank you." she whispered. "I'd…like that. But…"

_I hate buts._

"But what?"

"Will you still go after Slade?"

Silence.

"You know I will." I answered, my voice cold.

She shook her head.

"Then, I…can't accept your help."

"Because I'll be a murderer." I snapped.

"John…"

"I've saved your life!" I growled. "Twice, by my reckoning. I don't remember you refusing my help back then."

"This…is different."

"This is blackmail!" I growled. "You won't let me anywhere near you, unless I give up my vendetta. Is that right?"

"No!" she gasped. "It's not like that…I…don't want you to go after him. He'll either kill you, or you'll kill him. And I want you neither dead, nor a murderer."

I softened my tone a bit.

"If he had killed the Titans, what would you do?" I asked gently. "Don't ask me to give up, Raven. It would bean insult to the memory of my friends."

"You becoming a murderer would be an even greater insult to them." she countered.

We sat silent for a while.

"_A propos_ friends, why aren't the Titans here yet?" I asked, finally. "You must've trashed a lot of security sensors. Why don't I hear any alarms?"

"I turned off the security system in order to come and speak with you." she answered, back in her normal monotone.

"You did that for me?" I asked with a half-grin. "I'm touched, little blackbird. Really I am."

She didn't answer. I sighed. _Oh well. Back to square one._

"If I kill Slade, will you hunt me down?" I asked, my voice flat and emotionless.

"Don't…" she said, her voice pleading.

"Please, answer me." I insisted.

"You told me you wouldn't hurt me." she said, her voice trembling. "But this hurts. You _know_ I would do my duty. Please…don't make me."

She turned away and I thought she cried. I didn't stay to find out.

_Once a coward, always a coward, I guess…_

* * *

_A/N: No action here, but a lot of RaeXJS. I hope I didn't go too much OOC on Raven, but I just _had_to have a similar chapter somewhere. I hope you like it; I've been working on this one and re-editing it for a long time._

_**VV:**__Yay! You're logged in! Cm'on! Review, review, review!_

_**Ghostalker:**__lol. You really thought this was the last chapter? Now I know you don't read my author's notes. :-P Check on the A/N of chapter 12. I _had_promised__another 6-7 chapters… So you're gonna be really happy, seeing my fic on the front page, for 3-4 more chapters :-) _

_Where have all the other reviewers gone:-( Did you forget about me guys? Come on! If you're reading this, review! _

_Next chapter...Who knows? It might take some time. I think maybe Tuesday. We'll see…_

_-Phaethon out._


	17. I am here to kill you

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

Tracking. Searching. 

I would sniff him out. It was a matter of time. And time, I had enough.

"_Will you still go after Slade?"_

I scanned the room. It had been abandoned, a long time ago: the dust formed a half-inch layer on almost everything. But the communications system was still operational and had led me there. Another dead lead._No matter._ Ten down, twenty-four to go.

"_Either he'll kill you, or you'll kill him."_

I set a small motion detector on the floor and turned it on. If anything entered the old hideout after I was gone, I would get an alarm on my PDA.

"_You know I would do my duty."_

I dragged myself out of the sewer hatch, ignoring the pain from my leg, my face an expressionless mask.

"_You promised you wouldn't hurt me."_

With a grunt I closed the sewer hatch and consulted my PDA. The nearest Slade-frequency-com-system lay half a mile north-east. I mounted my bike.

"_This hurts."_

I revved the engine.

I would find him. It was a matter of time.

* * *

I knew this was the right place as soon as I entered: There is something in the _quality_ of the silence that tells you if a place is truly abandoned. This wasn't the case here. There was a distant, hardly perceptible hum of hidden machinery. The steel on the walls and floor wasn't polished; but it was clean. The silent computers looked ready to spring to life at a moment's notice.

"Mr. Smith. You found me. _Impressive._"

The voice echoed 'round the room, its owner hidden somewhere in the shadows. I summoned a Wraith to guard my back, and tried to pinpoint Slade.

"I'm not here to impress you, Slade." I said and was pleased to find that my voice was steady and calm. "I am here to kill you."

My voice bounced on walls, computer consoles and machines and echoed back to me. With a complicated spell, I pieced the sonar images together like a bat. I could "see" him now, striking a relaxed villain pose, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning on a wall not ten feet away.

"To kill me? Foolish child."

I shrugged and looked straight at him. I 'saw' him cock his head to the side, in wonder.

"You can see me? Indeed, you have grown stronger. Revenge is a strong motivator."

"Indeed." I echoed. "Turn on the lights. You can't hide from me, anyway. Might as well do this properly."

"I can't hide, true." he chuckled. "But, without lights you have to use up part of your power to track me. Why should I not use that advantage? No, Mr. Smith, I think I'll leave the lights _off_ for now. Later on, when I've broken you, I might turn them on, so as not to miss your expression when you die."

I shrugged again. His taunts were childish. He felt less confidence than he would like me to think.

In fact, we _both_ felt less confident than we wanted the other to think.

_God, oh God, this is it, this is it, thisisIT!… This had better work, or I'll be knocking on the pearly gates real soon. _

_Think, John. Bluff. It's all smoke and mirrors. Direct and misdirect._

"Don't count your chicken before they've hatched." I said, checking my watch. "Your twelve days aren't over yet." I noted. "Is there anything that you would like to do? Any last-minute busyness, perhaps? I can wait."

"What a professional!" he laughed. "I don't know where you get these ideas of chivalry, dear boy. Let me give you some advice: when you need to kill somebody, _don't talk_. Don't offer him any chances. It's better if he doesn't know you're there. It's _simple_, actually."

"'_Simple'_, as you say, is not my way." I snapped. "I take it we can begin?"

He reached to his belt and drew a short pipe; with the push of a button it extended into a bo staff. I brought my own oaken staff to a defensive position, in front of me.

"Yes, Mr. Smith, we can begin." he said. "In a way, it is a pity. I wonder if you would make a good apprentice."

"I doubt it." I answered, slowly closing the distance, trying to hide my limp as much as possible. _Make it look real, John! _"I would probably kill you the moment I got the chance."

"Ah…" he drawled, amused. "That would make you a _perfect_ apprentice, indeed."

He moved fast; still, if I could use both my legs I could've dodged him. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. His staff scored a hit on my right arm. As I staggered back, he tripped me and I fell. I rolled as best as I could out of harm's way and got back on my feet, supporting myself on a computer console.

Slade cast an amused eye o my discarded staff.

"That's it?" he chuckled. "Two blows is all you can take before losing your weapon? How…disappointing."

I drew my daggers and turned the taser function on. Twin arcs of electricity ran up and down the blades.

"Ah…" drawled Slade, no longer amused. "I see…"

This time, it was I who attacked. Instead of using my power to enhance my reflexes, I channeled it down to my leg, dulling the pain as best as I could. It would only work for a few seconds and I tried to make that limited time count, unleashing a flurry of blows that would've confused anyone but Slade. With relaxed ease, he dodged my blades, always keeping me three feet away, leading me in a deadly game of tag, I knew I couldn't win. Despairing, I risked a lunge, but he parried easily and countered with a blow to my head that sent me crashing to the ground.

_It's now or never!_

I reached for the gas canister, hanging from my belt, but Slade's foot came down on my hand, crushing my fingers. I felt the small bones break and barely held back a scream.

"Well, well, what's this?" Slade taunted. "Scarecrow's fear gas? Ingenious. A pity you never got the chance to use it."

He flipped the canister around a few times and paused.

"So ironic. To be able to create fear, only to be driven insane by it. So…anticlimactic an end. Like I said before, it is almost a pity. Goodbye, Mr. Smith. You were most…entertaining."

He aimed the canister in my direction, and sprayed. I held my breath.

_BANG!_

The canister exploded, releasing a cloud of brownish smoke. Slade gasped in shock and thus inhaled a good amount of the gas. He staggered back, no longer steady on his feet.

"I'm glad I entertained you, Slade." I said, rising. "Now it's my turn to laugh."

He retreated coughing and gasping, while I produced a small gas-mask, courtesy of Gizmo and put it on.

"How…What…?" stammered Slade, as I advanced, limping and grinning ferally.

"Well, you obviously have some time left, until the gas overpowers you, so I might as well explain. _Everything I did, _from the very moment I came in, had one purpose only: _to give you that canister._ I knew I could never beat you, Slade. I knew I could never get close enough to spray you myself. That left only one alternative: _you had to spray yourself! _I knew that if you got the gas, you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of using it on me. So, _I booby-trapped the canister! _'Simple' as you would put it. Marvelously effective, too."

He snarled and charged me, but he was getting weaker by the second. His fears must've begun materializing before his eyes, so dodging him wasn't hard. I finished him with a punch at the back of the head, as he sailed past me, and he collapsed, moaning.

"_Ironic, isn't it?_" I mimicked his words from before. "That the body, the _human_ body, with all its strengths _and weaknesses_, the same body you went to Hell to reclaim would be your downfall. I can sense the poison eating on your mind, Slade. You think _this_ is fear? Just wait. In a few minutes, your barriers will fall. And then I'll enter. And then…you'll wish you were never born."

Slade clapped his hands over his long-lost eye and screamed.

"Ah, yes." I said, sitting next to him. "The moment when you lost your eye. It was bound to be one of your worse memories. Rest assured, though: once I enter your mind, _these_ Illusions will no longer be your concern.

**(What are you doing?)**

The Wraith I had summoned when I entered was still there. I realized I had never dismissed it.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I answered. "I'm enjoying myself. Thanks for your help, back there, by the way…"

It shrugged.

**(There was nothing I could do. For Slade, I was non-existent. You know that.)**

"Yeah." I admitted, turning my attention back to Slade, who seemed to be suffering from an epileptic fit. I kicked him twice and his jerks ceased. The barriers protecting his mind were almost gone now. The once elusive sphere of his consciousness was slowly coming closer and getting more…real. _Not long now…_

**(Don't kill him)**

"_What was that!?_" I asked, turning to face the Wraith, not sure I had heard it…him…right. "_What did you say!?_"

**(You heard me the first time. Don't kill him. There's no point in it.)**

"How can you say that?" I asked incredulous. "Don't you know…? I…he _deserves _it!...I thought you were _me…_?"

**(Exactly my point.** **I **_**am**_** you. And I don't want to be a killer.)**

He stepped closer, casting a disgusted look at Slade.

**(Don't get me wrong. I _love_ to see him squirm. But death? I don't know. Seems a bit…extreme.)**

"That never stopped _him._" I snapped.

**(True.)** Wraith admitted. **(So, in order to punish him, you **_**become**_** him? Correct me if I'm wrong, but to rid the world of a killer, only to become one yourself, does not seem…sane. Don't you agree?)**

"No!" I said stubbornly.

**(Oh, but you **_**do.**_Wraith said with a grin. **(After all, as you pointed out, **_**I**_** am **_**you.**_** I know what you think. The only thing that keeps you from giving up your vendetta right now is rage. And rage is not a good counselor. Moreover, if you **_**must **_**have revenge, death is not the only option. You have other weapons in your disposal, am I right? Plus, not killing him would reap other,**_** substantial**_** rewards.)**

"Ah." I said. "_Now_ were getting to the heart of the issue. This is all about…"

**(…Raven, yes.)** admitted Wraith. **(Did you really think I would let you lose the best thing that's ever happened to you, just to kill that son-of-a-bitch?)**

"'_The best thing'_…hey, aren't you a bit hasty?" I protested.

**(No, I'm not.) **he stated, matter-of-factly. **(You know I'm right.)**

I lowered my head, hiding a grin. I knew, all right.

A short silence, punctuated by Slade's gasps and groans.

"So." I said finally, raising my head. "I shouldn't kill him?"

**(No.)**

"…Some other way, perhaps…? What do you think?"

**(Well…)** he answered hesitantly. **(I believe anything besides death and mutilation is acceptable. Oh, and madness might be considered a bit cruel.)**

"Madness!?" I exclaimed innocently. "I wasn't even considering it!"

**(Hmmm…)** Wraith smirked. **(Somehow I doubt that. Still, no matter. Do your worst.)**

I bent over Slade, knocking down the remains of his psychic barriers.

"Well, Slade, I guess you live to fight another day." I mused. "I'm afraid that it's gonna be a day in the _very_distant future, though."

I put him to sleep and cast a Paralyzer on him. This should do the job.

**(Ooooohh!**** Very mean. But somehow…it feels right.)**

"I know." I said, getting to my feet with some difficulty. "The spell will wear off in…oh, a year or so. It was easy. Practically no power needed to maintain it. With his barriers down, it's the easiest mind I've ever entered."

**(I know.) **Wraith grinned. **(A year you say?)**

"Yes. Until the spell wears off, he can enjoy life as a fully paralyzed person. And even after that, his muscles will have atrophied and will need some serious rebuilding. If the long wait drives him mad…well, it certainly won't make _me _feel guilty."

**(Nevertheless, you should make sure he is found.)**

"Of course I will. Leaving him here would kill him. We can't have that, can we?" I chuckled and turned all computers on.

* * *

_A/N: I'm evil, right? I didn't warn you this would be the final showdown chapter. :-) Oh well. Sue me. :-D_

_I expected to update later on, but I managed to find some time to type this. Quick update. The next one _will_ take some time, though. _

_Yay!__** Worldreaver**__ is back! Haven't heard from you for a while, mate. When are you gonna update your fics? _

_**Xaleria:**__Here you go then. I can't refuse a lady. Fic updated as requested._

_And as for you two:_

_**VV/Ghostalker:**__You're both right. It is both awkward (that's probably the OOC'ness I was worried about) and weird (because of Raven being emotional, but not able to express her emotions). But like __**Reaver**__ said, "_All stories need a good mix, right?"_Plus, I had promised some Rae X OC._

_I would say "Many thanks to my faithful reviewers", but that would make me sound like a stupid Oscar nominee ;-P. Still, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. The story draws to a close. A couple of chapters left to go._

_-Phaethon, out._


	18. Wraith Rising

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

"Hello, Titans." 

What must've been every alarm in the Tower yammered hysterically when my face appeared in their living-room screen. I watched with some amusement as Starfire dropped a bowl containing some sort of greenish goo and hid behind Robin with a startled "_yeek!"_. Beast Boy, on the other hand dove for cover behind the sofa.

"Dude!" he screamed. "Don't _do_ that! Even Slade had his logo flash on the screen before he appeared."

"My apologies to all." I said, grinning. "It is the first time I operate this transmitter."

"What do you want, Smith?" growled Robin. "Haven't you done enough?"

I raised a questioning eyebrow. I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh, so you had nothing to do with Raven locking herself in her room since yesterday morning?" Robin asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. "What did you do to her?"

I was stunned. Raven, locked in her room? _Doesn't sound good._

"We…talked." I answered. "Seems I must've struck a nerve."

"A_ nerve?_" Dude, she hasn't been this way since Malchior." Mumbled Beast Boy and shrank under Robin's death glare.

"You are a bad, BAD man!" cried Starfire, emerging from behind Robin and waving a menacing finger in my direction. "You have treated our friend with atrocious evilness and will be brought to justice!"

_Yeah, right._

"You are absolutely right, Miss Starfire." I said, solemnly. "Believe me; I shall do anything to mend the wrongs I've done."

"You most certainly will!" cried Starfire. "And furthermore…_oh!_" She seemed to deflate, as she realized what I had said. "You will?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course he won't" Robin snapped, before I could answer. "He's just making fun of us."

"He IS?" cried Starfire, turning to me indignantly. "You are a cruel_ KLORBAG!_" she humphed and turned her back on me.

"I'm a-_what?_" I said, puzzled. Beast Boy snickered.

"Dude, now you're in for it!" he said. "You won't be forgiven anytime soon…"

This was getting out of hand.

"_Slade._" I said, before Robin could say anything more confusing. It worked. The Titans froze.

"What did you do?" growled Robin, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Guess." I answered with a grin.

"You didn't! Dude!..." whispered Beast Boy, his eyes wide in horror. "You killed him?"

"I_ beat _him." I answered. "I _could've_ killed him, but I realized killing isn't really my style."

"How noble." Robin mocked.

"Noble or not," I shrugged "the fact remains that Slade is not dead, though he _is_…uh…how shall I put it…temporarily _disabled._ I would like you to come and pick him up."

Silence.

"You're not serious." Robin said. "You've subdued Slade and you're turning him over to us?"

"Yep." I answered. "But there are some conditions. _Quid pro quo, _Bird Brain."

"Go on…" Robin growled.

"OK. First and foremost, you need to get someone to go to Gotham and pick up some antidote for Scarecrow's fear gas, or Slade'll go mad when he wakes up. Next, I want you to leave the Tower in…" I glanced at my watch. "…oh, in about an hour. I'll send you the coordinates of Slade's hideout, but I have some things to do here, before you arrive."

"Okaaaayyyy…" Beast Boy whined. "Where's the catch?"

"And finally," I continued. "I want you to leave the Tower _without_ notifying Raven. She stays there. That is not negotiable. Get it, Bird Brain?"

"You…" cried Starfire, smoke blowing from her nostrils. "You…"-and she added a long string of incomprehensible syllables. "Is it not enough that you have chased friend Raven to the sanctuary of her room? Do you wish to continue to torment her, like the klorbag you are?"

"No deal, Smith." Robin said, his voice steady.

"Pity." I said, looking dreadfully sorry. "And to think that I was ready to give you Slade. The villain you've hunted all this time. Your nemesis. Oh, what a lost opportunity. Oh well…"

I saw the wheels in Starfire's mind begin to turn. Naïve, perhaps, and ignorant of many 'earthly ways', but not foolish.

"You are aware that if you harm friend Raven, in any way, I shall personally set a Betelgeusean bounty hunter on your trail?" she asked, her voice ice cold. "You will find that killing people _is_ their…style."

I gulped audibly. _She's very good at threatening. _Oh well.

"Yes." I answered. "Do not worry. Raven will not be harmed."

"Oh, Robin!" she cried, doing an amazing 180-turn and going from menacing queen to doe-eyed amorous girl. I suppressed a chuckle. Boy she was _good_. "Perhaps we should agree. After all, loath as I am to let friend Raven on her own, she is an able warrior, and able to defend herself against anything this klorbag might attempt, is she not?"

"Yes, but…?"

"And if Slade is ar-rested, then there will be no more need for you to do the obsessing in that dark room anymore, will it?

"No, but…?"

"And we will have more time to do the 'hanging out' and the 'dating' will we not?"

Robin was defeated and he knew it. He made one last attempt.

"Beast Boy, what do _you_ think?"

Stunned silence.

"Dude…" said Beast Boy, tears of happiness shining in his eyes. "You really want to know what _I_...?"

"Yes." Snapped Robin. From behind his back, Starfire lit a star-bolt in one of her hands and shot a death glare at Beast Boy. He gulped audibly.

"Oh…well…whatever Star says…" he mumbled.

"Glorious!" cried the alien and hugged Robin. "We should go immediately! I shall inform friend Cyborg!"

I noticed his absence for the first time.

"Where's Tin Man?" I asked.

"He is trying to get Raven out of her room." answered Beast Boy, pointedly. "No results."

"Hey!" I cried as Starfire left the room. "Don't forget: she mustn't know anything!"

"She will not!" cried the alien and zoomed out the door.

"Fine." growled Robin, turning back to the screen. "It appears that my mind has been made up for me. Where shall we pick up Slade?"

"I am transmitting his coordinates now." I answered. "Stand by. And don't forget, Robin; I don't want you here before an hour has passed. Catch ya later, Bird Brain."

* * *

RAVEN 

Five letters, stenciled on a plain steel door. Nothing to be afraid of. I'd been here before. Twice already.

So. Why were my feet shaking? Never mind-I knew why.

Deep breath. Relax. You can do this.

"…r…a…v…e…n…?" I croaked.

Pathetic. I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Raven?"

No answer. I was expecting that.

"Raven? Please open this door. We need to talk."

Still no answer. I sighed. There wasn't much time and if I had to break into her room, I would. Out came Gizmo's PDA: the old 'short-circuit the door' trick wouldn't work on her new lock. The PDA beeped merrily, though, and the door swished open after a few seconds.

Darkness.

"Raven?" I called softly. "Please, don't be mad. I just want to talk. If you don't want me to come in, say so, but _please,_ answer me."

Silence. I strained my ears and barely made out the sound of soft, rhythmic breathing. It didn't sound like she was upset, so I risked it. I stepped inside and let my eyes adapt to the gloom. As soon as I could make out the room around me, I gasped in shock.

The place was a mess. Half of her books were lying on the floor, some of them torn and burnt. The door of her wardrobe had been blasted apart. Her bed sported several cracks. The globe in the corner of her room had been cracked open like an egg. And in the middle of all this lay Raven, fast asleep.

The only explanation I could come up with was that she had let off some steam in a most explosive manner. It was worrying, of course, but also flattering; it proved that, in a way, she cared.

Loath as I was to wake her, I had no choice. The clock was ticking and, after having been beaten up by Slade, I really didn't look forward to confronting the Titans when they returned.

I knelt next to her and took her hand.

"Raven." I said, stroking her cheek. "Wake up. Come on."

Her eyes snapped open. For one second she was blurry and uncertain of what was going on. The next second I was blasted against the bookcase, which collapsed on top of me, burying me under a pile of books.

"Ow." I groaned, emerging. "Ouch. Ow. _That_ hurt."

"What are _you _doing here?"

Raven's voice was as cold as ice. I got to my feet, a bit unsteady, and grinned.

"No hug?" I asked.

Another blast of magic threw me out the door and against the corridor wall.

"Now, now, Raven!" I managed between groans. "I'm only here to thank you. Must you be this unpleasant?"

She strode out of the room, her power pulsing around her fists, her eyes glowing white, her hood lowered.

"Thank me?" she snapped, her voice a low growl. "For what, you lying, despicable murderer?"

"Somehow, I have the feeling we've had this conversation before." I replied and leaned against the wall for support. "No matter. I'm not a murderer. Thanks to you."

Silence for a beat, as she processed that.

"You…what?"

"You heard me."

Her power died. She just stood there, looking a bit sheepish.

"You're not lying, are you?" she asked in a very Timid-like voice.

"Wanna check my memories?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head, no. "So…satisfied?" I asked her. She nodded. "Good."

Silence.

"So…can I have that hug now?" I asked with an ear-to-ear grin.

"No." she answered, scowling, but there was a sparkle in her eyes. "I'm willing to overlook the fact that you broke into my room _again_, but no hugs."

"Oh, damn." I wailed with a woeful expression, edging closer. "And I was looking forward to that!"

"Back off." she warned and I retreated, still grinning. "First I expect some explaining."

"'_First?'_" I said, raising an eyebrow. "So, later on, perhaps…?"

"Oh, shut up." she snapped. "What happened?"

"Do you want me to shut up, or speak? Really, little blackbird, you must make up your mind…"

A jab of black magic blew a hole in the wall behind me, not an inch from my ear.

"OK,_whatdoyouwanttoknow?_"

"I want to know what happened?" she asked, in a no-nonsense voice. "What did you do?"

"I kicked Slade's butt." I grinned.

Silence.

"I thought you said…" began Raven, her voice dangerously low.

"I said I didn't kill him." I cut in. "I never said I didn't fight him."

I could see she didn't like it, but she accepted it.

"You defeated Slade?" she asked. I nodded.

"You obviously used some sneaky way." she mumbled. "No other explanation."

"How well you know me." I joked.

"You defeated Slade and you spared him?" she asked, incredulous. "Don't get me wrong, but I find it hard to believe."

"Well…" I paused. "…I didn't _exactly_ spare him…more of…well…"

She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"He isn't dead!" I exclaimed. "Don't worry! But…he won't be able to move more than his eyes for the next twelve months or so…"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"You paralyzed him? _For__ twelve months?!?_"

"Remember Iris? I thought it fitting. An eye for an eye. After all, I didn't turn him into a vegetable…he'll walk again…" She still looked shocked. "Do you think I was a bit too hard on him?"

"A_ bit, _yes. Still, I guess it's better than killing him…" She still seemed unconvinced. "Where is he now?"

"The Titans are escorting him to Jump City State Hospital, as we speak."

She leaned on her doorframe and flashed a rare smile.

"Is this how it ends? The good guy wins? A bit cliché, don't you think?"

I shrugged.

"No, not really. True, it _looks_ like a happy ending, but, in truth, there is something missing."

"What would that be?"

I grinned from ear to ear.

"That hug you promised…?"

She scowled, her power once more surrounding her fists. "Come and get it…if you think you can."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's a threat."

My grin never wavered, not for an instant. I cast a spell, quickly and quietly, and her power died with a splutter. She cursed and shook her hands incredulously.

"What did you do?" she snapped.

"I told you I'd find a way to cancel out your powers." I replied, limping up to her with a smug expression on my face. "It's called a Conviction. I've used it against you before. What it does, is '_convince'_ you, subconsciously, that you have no powers. And since your emotions originate from your subconscious, they find no power to unleash. Cool, eh? Don't worry, it'll pass. In an hour or so."

I put my hands around her waist and pulled her closer. She didn't resist. She was still looking at her hands.

"I can feel?" she whispered, more to herself than to me.

"You can feel." I replied. Make the most of…mphh!"

She kissed me, softly, and pulled away almost immediately, as if she was frightened of what she had done. For me, it was like being struck by lightning; this was more than I had hoped for.

"Well…" I managed to say after a while. "That was nice. And…unexpected."

She turned her face away.

"I'm…sorry" she said, through clenched teeth.

"I'm not. _Definitely _not." I said and pulled her closer.

Don't expect me to tell you about fireworks and electricity. I don't think I was a good kisser; didn't have much experience; nor did Raven. But I guess our second kiss was OK: She seemed to enjoy it and I know _I_ did.

We broke apart after a good twenty seconds. We both gave a deep sigh of contentment, and then laughed.

"Well, you certainly _did_ make the most of it." I chuckled.

"Is_ this _cliché enough for you?" she asked, smirking.

"Definitely." I answered, as serious as possible. "It reaches the height of clichéness. It's more cliché than the most cliché of all clichés!"

She laughed. It sounded beautiful.

"Enough." she said. "Let's get back to Earth."

"Must we?" I whined.

"_Yes._" she answered, her tone that of an exasperated schoolteacher. "Focus, John. What are you going to do now?"

"I'll _definitely _leave town for a while. There are some loose ends I have to attend to. That will take…oh, I don't know, up to four months, max. Then…well, I'm thinking of doing some superhero work." I answered. "I kind of liked the 'hunt-the-bad-guy-put-the-bad-guy-in-jail routine."

She smirked. "You? A superhero? I will have seen everything."

"No, don't get me wrong." I responded with a grin. "Not a regular superhero. I'll _charge_ for my services. Not much, of course, but a guy's gotta live."

She scowled.

"Well, I can definitely say you'll never be a Titan, with _that_ kind of attitude."

I shrugged.

"I don't want to be one. Your team is well-balanced and disciplined. Another member would probably disrupt it. And, after all, let's face it, I don't think Bird Brain would ever consider me for Titanhood."

"So, you'll work solo? she asked, a bit crestfallen. "The lonely mercenary?"

"Mostly, yes." I conceded. "But I _might_ work alongside the Titans, form time to time. _Provided,_ of course, they can afford my services."

"I don't think Bir…Robin will approve of you getting part of our budget." she said, the smirk returning to her lips.

"Who said anything about money?" I asked, my face an epitome of innocence. "I'll settle for some of your time."

"Oh…"she said, blushing slightly. "I see."

My PDA beeped and I swore under my breath. The screen displayed a map of the city, and a red dot approaching the Tower at high speed. The tracker I had planted on the T-car was working fine.

"Damnit!" I mumbled. "The Titans are coming. Sorry, gotta go, gotta fly!"

She nodded, understanding.

"How will I contact you?" she asked.

"Oh, we'll be in touch." I chuckled. "But if you're in trouble…"

I produced a communicator from my pocket and handed it to her. Gizmo had been working overnight, modifying Slade's design.

"An '_M'_?" she asked, puzzled, examining the large letter on the cover.

"You're holding it upside-down." I said with a smile. "It's a '_W'_. For '_Wraith'._"

I tapped my lips.

"One last one…for the road?"

* * *

_A/N: The End is Approaching! Review, ye sinners!_

_One more chapter to go-an Epilogue of sorts-and that'll be the end of Smoke and Mirrors. I hope you liked the story and that you will still be there when I start uploading the sequel (It's not finished yet-It will take a few months :-( )._

_**VV**__: No, I don't like plots where the bad guy resurrects himself. The good guy; fine, but not the bad guy. It shows that you can't think of a decent follow-up villain. _

_I have some half-formed plans for Slade, if it ever comes to a second sequel. But right now, I'm working on another villain. :-)_

_**Xaleria:**__Yep. It'll end soon. Sorry. :-)_

_**Ghostalker**__: Nope. No more Smith/Raven fights, not unless you count in quarrels. :-D And, like I said to VV, there is a reason for not killing Slade. You'll see...maybe._

_Review ye sinners!_

_-Phaethon out._


	19. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:**I don't own the Teen Titans. I only own my OC, John Smith

* * *

Sunset. The light painted Jump City golden, and turned the bay into a sea of sparkling silver. Titans' Tower was starkly silhouetted against the setting sun. A gentle breeze ran through my hair and I closed my eyes, enjoying it. I couldn't remember ever being _that_ relaxed or calm. 

I felt her presence, but didn't open my eyes. Her aura was distinctive; I had long ago grown accustomed to it.

"Greetings, sensei." I whispered. "It is an honor to see you again."

"Of course it is." replied Lady Shiva and sat next to me, her legs dangling off the rooftop.

"What brings you here?" I asked, eyes still closed.

"You. I came to check on your progress."

"Ah." I sighed. "I knew I had forgotten something."

"What is that, Apprentice?"

"Your wishes, sensei." I replied. "I am afraid I disappointed you."

She laughed and I opened my eyes. Lady Shiva's laughs were rare. She smiled quite often, as a predator will, displaying its fangs, but a laugh such as this, full of mirth, I had only heard from her once: when I had tackled myself to the ground during training.

"You think I'll be disappointed because you didn't kill Slade?" she asked, and I stared. "I know, Apprentice. I've been watching you. In truth, at first I thought you wouldn't manage. Too much flourish and beating around the bush. And what about that love/hate thing you've got with that Titan witch? But in the end…" she looked at me and I saw pride in her eyes. "…in the end you proved yourself worthy of my time. That paralyzing torture you put Slade through was a stroke of genius! You defeated and humiliated him; even if he recovers, he will never be so damn cocky again. But most of all, you proved you're not afraid to hurt someone's _mind_; and _that_ is the ultimate victory. I am actually pleased, Apprentice."

I shuddered.

"Sensei…" I stammered. "…somehow, this eulogy, coming from _you_ makes me feel _worse_ for what I did.

She laughed again.

"I know that too, Apprentice. I'm not saying we are alike. I'm just saying that we _might have been _alike: that you have potential. I am aware that you do not wish to follow in my footsteps. In truth, I don't really care. I'm just glad I didn't waste my time training an unworthy fighter."

We sat there, in silence, for a minute or two.

"You are going to be a superhero, correct?" she finally asked.

"Superhero-for-hire." I corrected her.

"Same thing." she said, a little disdainfully. "Why? To impress _her?_"

"Partly." I admitted.

She snorted.

"Well, you can start by getting a decent superhero suit." she stated, matter-of-factly. "I know you like jeans, and they're quite decent, but you'll need…_work clothes_. Have you thought of a name yet?"

"'_Wraith'._" I answered. "And what's wrong with jeans?"

"They don't stop bullets." she replied, rummaged in her pockets and produced a visit card. "Go to this lady, and tell her I've sent you. She'll know what to do."

I pocketed the card, without really looking at it. She got up.

"What are _you_ going to do now, sensei?" I asked.

"There is a much promising young man called Tim Drake, living in Gotham." she replied. "I might take him up as Apprentice."

"I wish you-and him-the best of luck."

"Luck has nothing to do with anything." she said, smiling in her predatory way. "You should know _that_ at least by now, Apprentice. So long."

And without further ado she jumped off the roof. I didn't move. For a while I stared at empty space. Then I took out the card she had given me. It read simply:

_E_

followed by an East Coast address. Fine. I'd give this '_E'_ person a call. I placed the card back inside my pocket and looked up again.

Titans' Tower.

"Oh, I don't know, sensei." I said with a grin. "I consider myself a very lucky man…"

_Teen Titans-The Wraith Chronicles_

_Part one-Smoke and Mirrors_

_END_

* * *

_A/N: The end, everybody. Whooohooo! I made it:-) _

_(Bows very, very deeply.)_ _Many thanks to all my reviewers. As you probably know by now, this was my first fic, and I would have despaired if it weren't for you. I am especially grateful to the 'faithful Trinity': __**Vampiric**__**Vanity, Ghostalker **__and__**Worldreaver Prime**__, who were there for most of the fng chapters, always supporting, always encouraging. Many thanks also to __**XcrimsonroseX**__**lost prince, Devilchild93, kayleigh, Xaleria **__and__**Zarola. **_

_I know the cartoon Robin is based a bit on all comic Robins, but I couldn't resist splitting Grayson and Drake. As comic-lovers probably know, Tim Drake was indeed trained by Lady Shiva, who also instructed him in bo-staff fighting. And since I'm planning on making the switch from Robin to Nightwing in the sequel, I thought that splitting the Robins would not be that bad…_

_I've already started work on the sequel, but it'll take some time, as I've said before. I'll upload the first chapter, though, as a 'teaser'. It can probably hold its own as a one-shot. It's about Wraith getting his super-suit. I couldn't resist writing a small crossover. _

_I am aware that some people search only for 'complete' stories. It's also what I generally do. If this is the case, and you are reading this, review, please! Even if this story is complete, I would VERY much appreciate any comments and suggestions. I can only learn and improve my writing through feedback. _

_Thanks in advance!_

_-Phaethon out._


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